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.

Supreme Court Dobb's Decision Leaker remains a mystery.

The U.S. Supreme Court concluded its investigation of the leak of the draft Dobb's decision with no determination as to who the leaker was.

Be that as it may, like most such events, the furor seems to have passed.

Governor Gordon Orders Flags Be Flown at Half-Staff Statewide Immediately in Honor of Former Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Macy

 

Governor Gordon Orders Flags Be Flown at Half-Staff Statewide Immediately in Honor of Former Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Macy

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Governor Mark Gordon has ordered both the U.S. and State of Wyoming flags to fly at half-staff statewide today, January 4 until sundown on Tuesday, January 10 in honor and memory of Wyoming Supreme Court Justice Richard Macy. Macy served on the Wyoming Supreme Court from 1985 until his retirement in 2000, and served as Chief Justice from 1992 through 1994. 

Both flags should remain at half-staff until sundown on the day interment, Tuesday, January 10.

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2022 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary

 2022 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary