State v. Greenwood

Justice PARRISH, opinion of the Court:

INTRODUCTION

{1 We granted the State's petition for interlocutory review to address whether a court may grant a criminal defendant's request to waive a jury trial over the prosecution's objection. The district court granted Jamie Lynn Greenwood's request to waive a jury trial in favor of a bench trial because of the court's perceived "due process concerns." On appeal, the State argues that the district court erred because it disregarded the clear provisions of rule 17(c) of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure that require the consent of the prosecution…