Suit Up.

Dear Members of the Wyoming State Bar, 

Suit Up is a student-led organization at the University of Wyoming College of Law that provides students with access to professional clothing and helps reduce financial barriers to academic and career opportunities. 

With the State Bar Conference in Laramie this week, we invite you to support our mission by making a monetary contribution. We welcome donations of gently used professional clothing. Our Career Services Director, Kristin Lanouette would be happy to collect donations on Wednesday, September 17, at the College of Law Welcome Reception. Your support will directly help students participate in networking and career events with confidence. 

Thank you for considering a donation and supporting the next generation of young lawyers.

For any monetary donations we kindly take cash, checks, or Venmo @junuenth (last four digits are: 2933).

Additionally, for any questions, please feel free to email our President – Junuenth Daniels jmorale5@uwyo.edu.  

Sincerely,

Suit Up Leadership Team

University of Wyoming College of Law

LEGENDARY TRIAL LAWYER GERRY L. SPENCE DIES AT 96

August 14, 2025                                                          Contact:          Sharon Wilkinson

                                                                                                            Executive Director

                                                                                                            (307) 432-2102

 

LEGENDARY TRIAL LAWYER GERRY L. SPENCE DIES AT 96

 

MONTECITO, Calif. – Gerry L. Spence, the celebrated Wyoming trial lawyer whose buckskin jacket, folksy delivery, and unbroken string of courtroom victories made him one of America’s most renowned advocates, died yesterday at his home in Montecito, California. He was 96.

 

Over more than six decades, Spence built a record unmatched in American legal history, never losing a criminal jury trial and, after the late 1960s, never losing a civil case. Known for his fierce dedication to the underdog, he pledged never again to represent a corporation against an individual, vowing to stand with “the people who had no one else.”

 

Spence rose to national prominence through a series of landmark cases, including the $10.5 million verdict for the family of nuclear whistleblower Karen Silkwood, the successful defense of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, and the acquittal of Idaho survivalist Randy Weaver on the most serious charges stemming from the Ruby Ridge standoff. His high-profile victories also included a $52 million judgment against McDonald’s and a $26.5 million libel award for Miss Wyoming against Penthouse magazine.

 

Born January 8, 1929, in Laramie, Wyoming, Spence earned his law degree magna cum laude from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1952. After early years as a prosecutor and insurance defense lawyer, he shifted his career toward representing individuals in cases others deemed unwinnable.

 

Beyond the courtroom, Spence founded the Trial Lawyers College in 1994 at his Thunderhead Ranch in Wyoming, training generations of attorneys in the “Spence Method” — an approach centered on authenticity, emotional connection, and moral courage. He was also a prolific author of more than a dozen books, a familiar voice on national television during major trials, and a recipient of lifetime achievement honors from the American Association for Justice and the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.

 

Spence is survived by his wife of 57 years, LaNelle P. Spence; his children Kip Spence, Kerry Spence, Kent Spence, Katy Spence, Brents Hawks, and Christopher Hawks; thirteen grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

 

As he once told a jury, summing up the creed that defined his career:

 

            “I would rather speak for the weak than be the strongest man in the room.”

 

Wyoming Senate panel rebuffs effort to give lawmakers more control over judicial nominations

Wyoming Senate panel rebuffs effort to give lawmakers more control over judicial nominations: The Wyoming Freedom Caucus began criticizing the court’s judiciary after rulings against its initiatives. A narrow vote Tuesday indicated debate is likely to continue.

Judges, lawyers describe perils of attacking judiciary at Grand Teton National Park gathering

Judges, lawyers describe perils of attacking judiciary at Grand Teton National Park gathering: Legal professionals attending a Wyoming conference look to citizens to stand up for safety and independence of judges.

Lex Anteinternet: Governor Gordon Appoints Keith Kautz Attorney General

Lex Anteinternet: Governor Gordon Appoints Keith Kautz Attorney General:  

Governor Gordon Appoints Keith Kautz Attorney General

 This is a great choice by Governor Gordon.

Governor Gordon Appoints Keith Kautz Attorney General

July 02, 2025

---

 Governor Mark Gordon has announced the appointment of Keith Kautz as Attorney General beginning July 7, 2025. Kautz replaces Ryan Schelhaas, who is serving as interim Attorney General following the departure of Bridget Hill.

Kautz served as a justice on the Wyoming Supreme Court from 2015 until 2024, when he turned 70 and was required by Wyoming’s Constitution to retire from the bench. From 1993 until 2015 he served as a District Court Judge for the Eighth District covering Converse, Goshen, Niobrara, and Platte counties. He previously served as a private practice attorney in Torrington as a partner in the firm Sawyer, Warren & Kautz. Kautz grew up in Torrington and earned his Bachelors and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Wyoming. 

“When accepting my offer to serve as Wyoming’s 39th Attorney General, I was delighted to hear Justice Kautz quote George Washington who, when selecting our country’s first attorney general, stated that ‘the due administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good Government,’” Governor Gordon said. “I share that view, and know that Justice Kautz has the talent, experience and skill to fulfill this important duty, as well as provide the due administration of justice to the people of Wyoming. We are fortunate that he desires to continue to serve our great state, and I look forward to his leadership in this most essential office.”

“I am honored to serve Wyoming, and to work with the outstanding staff at the Attorney General’s office,” Kautz said. 

The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office is the legal advisor for the State of Wyoming. In addition to providing a full range of legal services to statewide elected officials, agencies, and State employees in the conduct of official State business, the Attorney General’s Office is Wyoming’s primary State law enforcement agency. The Office provides a full spectrum of services, ranging from statewide criminal investigations performed by the Division of Criminal Investigation; initial and advanced law enforcement training provided by the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy; and crime victim advocacy and victim support programs and payments through the Division of Victim Services. The Attorney General’s Office also provides administrative support to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission and the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. 

I can't help but feel that part of the reason that Gordon brought Justice Kautz out of retirement for this position is his calm, steady, demeanor.  Kautz was a widely admired district court judge and then supreme court justice, who was completely unflappable.  Recently he demonstrated that in regard to a comment on the case regarding abortion in front of the supreme court, in which he openly cited to religion and prayer.  

He'll be in charge of advancing the Governor and state's interest in that regards, which has been to restrict and ban abortion.  Added to that, however, Governor Gordon has been repeatedly faced with needling from Secretary of State Gray, who has used that office to grandstand. Chance are that Kautz's calm demeanor was in mind in regard to that as well.

 

Committee Adopts Bill To Make Wyoming Senate Confirm Supreme Court Justices

Limiting Jurisdiction.

The House passed legislation on Wednesday that would bar federal district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions, part of an escalating Republican campaign to take aim at judges who have moved to halt some of President Trump’s executive orders.

The bill, approved mostly along party lines on a vote of 219 to 213, would largely limit district court judges to issuing narrow orders that pertain to parties involved in a specific lawsuit, rather than broader ones that can block a policy or action from being enforced throughout the country. It would make an exception in cases that were brought by multiple states, which would need to be heard by a three-judge panel.

The New York Times. 

 

Guest Column: You Bet I Signed That Letter In Defense Of The Judiciary

 

Trump Bans Northern Arapaho Tribe's Law Firm From Federal Contracts

Condemn attacks on judiciary, Wyoming lawyers and judges urge delegation

Condemn attacks on judiciary, Wyoming lawyers and judges urge delegation: More than 100 members of the state’s legal community, including four retired Supreme Court justices, implored Sens. Barrasso and Lummis and Rep. Hageman to resist “reckless disdain” for the courts.

 

For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. . . The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.

For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. . . The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.

Chief Justice John Roberts reacting to putative chief executive Donald Trump demanding impeachment of a judge who disagreed with him, as they often due due to his contempt of the law.

Lex Anteinternet: Some Grim Predications

Lex Anteinternet: Some Grim Predications: 

Some Grim Predications

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I still think that Vance will be President within 18 months of the inauguration.  Trump's clearly a demented, unhinged, fool who always had a defective narcissistic personality made worse by his declining mental status.  It's really impossible to ignore at this point, although the damage he does will be lasting.  Vance can't act immediately, as Trump put in sycophants and lackeys in his cabinet, but it's increasingly clear to non Maga Republicans that Trump's unhinged.  

Indeed, Vance acting quicker than 18 months, maybe even with in the first six months, is becoming an increasing likelihood. The nation will breath a sigh of relief no matter what Vance is like, as he isn't Trump, and by that time all the dirty work of firing government employees will have been done.

But I also think I can, at this point, see some other things happening with a high degree of probability, all of which depend to some degree on what Vance ultimately does, that will result from his administration, or occur during it. Some will surprise his supporters.  Here's what I think we're going to see, which the assumption being we're within the 18 month window, or perhaps that I'm wrong on that.  Indeed, if I'm wrong, the likelihood of these predictions goes up.

Note that predicting these events isn't the same as cheering them on, or hoping for them, or even remotely wishing for them. What I hope and pray is that God deliver the United States and grant to it what is his will.  I don't wish harm or disaster on anyone.  I think, at the end of the day, that Donald Trump is a demented old fool who deserves pity,  the nation that has chosen him as the Chief Executive is suffering from a sort of foolish dementia itself, and that all the proof that ever needs to be given on why people shouldn't be allowed to get massively rich has been given.

70% Chance

How solitary sits the city, 

once filled with people.

She who was great among the nations

is now like a widow.

Once a princess among the provinces,

now a toiling slave.

 Lamentations.

I'd give the following about a 70% chance of occurring.

Trump's going to defy the courts

Napoleon, who claimed he was acting to save the country and went on to get a lot of people killed.  Don quoted him just the other day in what is likely a prelude to ignoring the courts.  Napoleon ended up in exile and was likely murdered by poisoning.

This is pretty obvious and will happen soon.

The thing is, this won't go well, and will prove to be one of those things he'll move away from quickly.  Courts have a lot more power than they did in times past and they really aren't afraid of Trump.  Once Federal Marshall start slapping people in prison or impounding assets, things will change.

Standing for the rule of law. Hagen Scotten.

 

Standing for the Rule of Law. The letter of Danielle R. Sassoon.

What if Trump Just Ignores the Courts?

Lex Anteinternet: 2025 State of the State & State of the Judiciary

Lex Anteinternet: 2025 State of the State & State of the Judiciary

2025 State of the State & State of the Judiciary

Painted Bricks: Aviator statue. Cheyenne, Wyoming.

A recent edition outside of Cheyenne's Federal courthouse.

Painted Bricks: Aviator statue. Cheyenne, Wyoming.:  

Aviator statue. Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Lex Anteinternet: Biden proposes changes to the framework of American government.

Lex Anteinternet: Biden proposes changes to the framework of America...:  

Biden proposes changes to the framework of American government.

 Joe Biden, in an op ed in the Washington Post (a poor way to make major proposals, in my view) proposed some major structural changes to the framework of U.S. governance today.  The proposals are:

1.  A Constitutional Amendment making it clear that there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office.

2.  Term limits for Supreme Court Justices such that a President would appoint a justice every two years for a term of 18 years on the Court.

3.  A binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court.

On these, fwiw, I think a Constitutional Amendment would be justified, but I'd go further than what's stated.  I don't support any kind of immunity at all.

On term limits, I don't support that either, but would support age limits.  Once a Federal Judge reached age 60, or at least no older than 65, they'd be required to retire, including members of the Supreme Court.

On a code of ethics for the Supreme Court, it's a good idea, but I don't know how you impose one, given the independence of the judiciary.

 

The Jury.

The entire time I've been a lawyer. . . well, no, well before that, I've been told that one of the "greatest" things about "the world's greatest judicial system" is that it uses juries.

Most legal systems do not, and those that do, have tended to pick it up from the English Common Law system, often through American influence.  Save for Louisiana, we use the English system, and the English system has long used juries.  

The system has evolved over time.  Originally it was an effort to gather those from the area where an event occured, and was truly a jury of peers. The danger was that they actually knew you, and therefore may be inclined to judge your guilt or innocence based on that, which was part of why it was conceived of as a good system. Over time, while it was still supposed to be a jury of your peers, they were picked, through the voir dire process, for their fairness.

I'm not about to say that juries always get everything right. They don't.  But lawyers are taught to respect the process and the juries, and for good reason.  Frankly, more often than not, juries are right.  Not always, but holding them in contempt is wrong.

The jury that found Donald Trump guilty of 34 felonies this past week in Manhattan was made up seven men and five women, and included two attorneys, a software engineer, an e-commerce sales professional, a security engineer, a teacher, a speech therapist, an investment banker and a retired wealth manager.   That is a highly educated jury, and frankly that probably truly is a jury of Trump's peers.  Leaving two lawyers on the jury is bizarre, as lawyers only rarely make a jury panel, although I've known one who did.  I've been called for jury duty once and did not get picked, as I didn't expect to be.  Having two lawyers on the panel is phenomenal.

It'd be interesting to know how that occured.  Trump's defense team may have thought that the lawyers would regard the charges as strained in regard to election interference, which a lot of legal analysts did.  They may have, instead, helped the jury wade through the piles of stuff they had and arrive at the conclusion which they did.

Anyway you look at it, they arrived at the opinion they arrived at, and that needs to be respected.

Which Wyoming's elected officials are not.

The jury has been slammed by all of our Congressional delegation, two of whom are lawyers, the Governor and the Secretary of State.

It's tragic.

Wyoming makes frequent recourse to the courts as a state, and now it's attacking the judicial system.  There's utterly nothing whatsoever to question the nature of this jury on.  It appears to have been well qualified for its role.  There's no reason to suspect that New York's legal system is deficient in any way.

It's inexcusable to attack the jury.

The Norm.

From one of the numerous Trump tweets, or whatever they are called.

Why? 

Well because the prosecution, just like the plaintiff in a civil trial, has the burden of proof and hence the more difficult job.

Generally, the order of a trial is:

Plaintiff/Prosecution Opens.

Defense Opens.

Plaintiff/Prosecution presents evidence.

Defense presents evidence.

Plaintiff/Prosecution closes.

Defense closes.

Plaintiff/Prosecution rebuts, if there's something to rebut.

That's the norm.

Blog Mirror: A bucket-list tour of Nebraska courthouses yields some elevator insights

 

A bucket-list tour of Nebraska courthouses yields some elevator insights

 

Monday at the Bar: The Lawyer?

Monday at the Bar: The Lawyer?

 

Casper newspaper ad, May 13, 1924.

Painted Bricks: Stormwater drain, Casper Wyoming.

Painted Bricks: Stormwater drain, Casper Wyoming.:   

Stormwater drain, Casper Wyoming.

 

This stormwater drain is outside of the Townsend Justice Center in Casper, Wyoming.

Frankly, I really don't think that this send the best message . . . 

Blog Mirror: Wyoming Chief Justice calls for increased security amid rising number of threats

 

Wyoming Chief Justice calls for increased security amid rising number of threats

Why Law School Should Be an Undergraduate Program — Minding The Campus

Why Law School Should Be an Undergraduate Program — Minding The Campus: In most parts of the world, lawyers are formally trained in an undergraduate degree program. The Bachelor of Law (LL.B), is also an accelerated three-year curriculum. In the United States it takes over twice as long. First you need a 4-year undergraduate degree in any subject—a gratuitous requirement, as there is no such thing as […]

Thoughts?

I'm not sure that I agree, but there'es something to the suggestion. 

Meet the Press interviews Stephen G. Breyer

Meet The Press's host interviewed retired United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer on last weekend's episode.

Apparently Breyer just wrote a biography, which must have been his incentive for giving the interview.  It was awful.  He really didn't comment on anything.

The episode is worth listening to, but due to Chuck Todd and Kristen Welker going after their employer, NBC, for getting them set up in an interview of Ronna McDaniel after it turns out that NBC has hired McDaniel to be a pundit.  Suffice it to say, McDaniel won't be inviting them to any after work gatherings.  But the interview of Breyer was pointless.

Courthouses of the West: 2024 State of the State and State of the Judiciary

When I originally posted this item, Courthouses of the West: 2024 State of the State and State of the Judiciary, I hadn't yet listed to the speeches.  

I have since.

Chief Justice Fox's speech starts at about 59:00.  

It's probably a true "state of" type speech, something that's actually fairly rare.  A main point is that the judiciary is underfunded  and is not receiving the same staff wage raises that the rest of the state's employees are.

A short reference is made to some new judges, and the retiring Justice Kautz.  It's very brief, noting, with a hint of displeasure, that he's required to retire due to the age 70 statutory provision.

A really nice article on retiring Justice Kautz is in the current edition of The Wyoming Lawyer.

2024 State of the State and State of the Judiciary

Blog Mirror: Supreme Court likely to discard Chevron

Supreme Court likely to discard Chevron

Which is huge legal news.

The court strongly hinted it might do this in one of its decisions last year.  Now it appears it is going to do it.

Justice O’Connor to lie in repose at court Dec. 18

Justice O’Connor to lie in repose at court Dec. 18: Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who died last week at the age of 93, will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Dec. 18, the court’s public information office announced on Tuesday. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects that day from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Two private serv

In Memoriam: Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

I'm late in posting this and, frankly, so many things have been posted it would hardly be necessarily.

Justice O'Connor was the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court. Frankly, even though this came in relative terms, in 1981, fairly close to the pioneering appointment of an African American to the Supreme Court bench, it was later than it should have been. Having said that, like Nixon going to China, coming by way of a conservative, Ronald Reagan, perhaps it meant more in real terms than it would have had it come under an earlier President, such as Jimmy Carter.

O'Connor had been a member of the Arizona Court of Appeals at the time of her appointment. She was a Westerner by birth, having been raised on a 198,000 acre cattle ranch in that state.  She attended Stanford as an undergrad and as a law student, and oddly enough had received a proposal of marriage from William Rehnquist while still a student.

Her accomplishments cannot be denied, but frankly, like a lot that Reagan did, her appointment has a mixed record.  I frankly don't think she was as great of jurist as people now wish to recall, and like many of the "conservative" justice of her era, she was conservative only in a very reserved way.  True conservatives wouldn't really reappear on the Supreme Court for many years, none of which takes away from her personal accomplishments.

Railhead: Rail Features. Thyra Thompson Building, Casper Wyoming. Chancery Court.

Railhead: Rail Features. Thyra Thompson Building, Casper Wyo...:

Rail Features. Thyra Thompson Building, Casper Wyoming.

The State of Wyoming recently completed the construction of a massive new state office building, the Thyra Thompson Building, in Casper.  All of the state's administrative bodies, except for the district and circuit courts, are housed there.

The building does house, however, the Chancery Court for the entire state, a new court that's only recently been established.

The building is built right over what had been the Great Northwest rail yard in Casper, which was still an active, although not too active, rail yard into my teens.  I can't really recall when they abandoned the line, but it was abandoned.

In putting the building in, and extending the Platte River Parkway through it, the State did a nice job of incorporating some rail features so that there's a memory of what the location had been.

They also put in some historical plaques, which are nice. The curved arch at this location, moreover, is the location of the old turntable.  It was a small one, which I hate to admit that I crossed over when I was a teenager, a dangerous thing to do.

Today In Wyoming's History: U.S. Supreme Court upholds the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.

Today In Wyoming's History: U.S. Supreme Court upholds the 1978 Indian Child W...: 

U.S. Supreme Court upholds the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.

The United States Supreme Court, contrary to many expectations, including many in the legislature, upheld today the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.

Oklahoma County Courthouse, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

This impressive art deco courthouse was built in 1937 and serves Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.  Apparently it was loosely inspired by Mayan temples, which is unusual.

It was a Great Depression works project.