Wyoming Supreme Court

Wyoming Supreme Court
Court information
Justices:	5
Judicial selection
Method:	Comm. select., Gov. appt.
Term:	8 years
Active justices
William U. Hill  •  Marilyn Kite  •  James Burke  •  Barton Voigt  •  Michael K. Davis  •
Former justices

The Wyoming Supreme Court is the appellate court of last resort in Wyoming. Five justices sit on the court; they are chosen via a nominating commission system, and they face a retention election every eight years.

Justices

The current justices of the court are:

Judge	Term	Appointed by	Party
Justice William U. Hill	1998 - present	Jim Geringer
Chief Justice Marilyn Kite	2000 - present	Jim Geringer
Justice James Burke	2005 - present	Dave Freudenthal
Justice Barton Voigt	2001 - present	Jim Geringer
Justice Michael K. Davis	10/2012-2014	Gov. Matt Mead

Chief justice

The Chief Justice of the court serves for a four-year term. Marilyn Kite is the current Chief Justice of the court, a position to which she was elevated on on July 1, 2010.

Jurisdiction

The Wyoming Supreme Court has general appellate jurisdiction, hearing appeals from lower Wyoming courts in civil and criminal cases. The court also has "general superintending control over all inferior courts, under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by law."

The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in cases involving quo warranto and mandamus as to all state officers and in habeas corpus. The Court also has power to issue writs of mandamus, review, prohibition, habeas corpus, certiorari, and other writs necessary to the exercise of its appellate duties.

Judicial selection

Main article: Judicial selection in Wyoming

From 1890-1972, justices of the court were elected by the people of the state. Starting in 1972, justices gained a seat on the court through a commission selection process. They face a retention election every eight years. There are seven members of the nominating commission, which is called the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission. The chairman of the commission is the chief justice of the Supreme Court, or another justice of the Court designated to act on behalf of the chief justice. Three members of the commission are elected from the active membership of the Wyoming State Bar. Three Wyoming electors who are not admitted to the bar are appointed to the commission by the governor.

Qualifications

Requirements for service as a justice on the court are laid out in Article 5 of the Wyoming Constitution and include:

• U.S. citizenship
• Wyoming resident for at least 3 years.
• Nine years of legal experience
• Minimum age of 30.
• The mandatory retirement age is 70.

Salaries

Yearly salary for both the associate justices and the Chief Justice is $131,500 as of July 2008.

History of the court

Courthouse renovations

Between 2006 and 2008, the building which houses the state high court, the law library, and the state library, underwent extensive renovation. During renovations, court was held in the former offices of the Wyoming Department of Health located in the Hathaway Building, and a miniature courtroom was erected in the Hathaway's lobby. At the time of the renovations, the building was 70 years old.

External links

• Wyoming Constitution: Administration of the Government
• Wyoming Judicial Branch Official Site
• 2007-2008 Budget
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Wyoming History Timeline

References

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