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Two Wyoming Supreme Court justices discuss role amid growing legislative, public scrutiny - WyoFile

Two Wyoming Supreme Court justices discuss role amid growing legislative, public scrutiny - WyoFile: High court maintains business-as-usual approach as justices weigh high-profile cases on abortion, school financing, justices say.

Tone it down, senator. There is no fire in this theater.

Tone it down, senator. There is no fire in this theater.: Surely Sen. Lummis, an attorney who took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, one whose congressional ancestors crafted the language she now seeks to unwind, understands the implications of greenlighting limitations of speech.

Things in the air. Some observations with varying degrees of introspection.

This blog is supposed to be dedicated to architecture, basically, although matters pertaining to the law do show up here.  Very rarely is there anything on the practice of law.  

This is an exception, but really not a cheerful one.

The State bar convention is going on.  I never go it, but now you can attend some of it electronically.  I did that yesterday as I needed the CLE credits, I wish I hadn't.

The first CLE I attended I picked up as I needed the ethics credit.  It was an hour of "mindfulness" which is usually a bunch of bullshit suggestions on how to deal with stress that you really can't implement in the real world.  That's what it turned out to be, in part, but it descended into "this job really sucks" for an hour.  All of the panelists, including a judge and a justice, had to have counselling at some point in their careers for work stress.

I hope some students were in the audience to see that.  If even Wyoming Supreme Court justices say the practice is so bad they need psychological help to endure it, well that's pretty bad.

The last CLE of the day was the legislative panel.  Usually I think of that as being new laws that are coming down the pipeline, which it partially was, but the first part started off as a plea from a lawyer/legislator for lawyers to run for office, noting how in Wyoming that's declined enormously.  That turned into an outright dumping on the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which needs to be dumped on.  The last part of that session, however, dealt with the ongoing massive decline in civil practitioners putting in for judgeships.  They just aren't doing it.  They were urged to do it.

As noted, I wasn't there to ask a question, but if I had been, I'd have asked why should they, when Governor's have agendas and the current Governor is only really interested in appointing prosecutors.  It's extremely obvious.  The one before that would almost always pick a woman, if possible, and was very open about that.  If you are a male civil practitioner, just forget it.

Justice Kautz, who is now the current AG, noted how being a judge, and particularly a justice, was a great job for a law nerd.  The last panelist, a current Fed defender who was a private lawyer with a very wide practice, noted how he had put in many times and urged people to do so, even though it was disappointing if you did not make it.

It's disappointing for sure.

For me, hearing Justice Kautz talk was outright heartbreaking, as what he expressed made up the very reasons I wanted to be a judge and replied repeatedly, with no success.  I never even got an interview, even though at one point I was being urged by judges and members of the judicial nominating committee to apply.  I'm frankly bitter about it even while knowing that I should not be.  It's hard not to come to the conclusion that the system has become a bit of a fraud, frankly, particularly now that the committee has been rounded out to include non lawyers in it.  I've felt for some time that the Governor's office had an influence on who was picked, even though I have no inside knowledge on that sort of thing.  It's just a feeling, and not a good one.  When judges are picked which leave almost all the practitioners wondering what happened, it's not a good thing.

It leads to me listening to everything Justice Kautz said about the reasons he wanted to be a judge, and myself realizing I once felt those things, but I no longer do.

Back on the stress part of this, a lawyer I've known for a long time, but who is quite a bit younger than me, recently took a really neat vacation.  He came back to the office and announced he's leaving the law.  I was so surprised I called him.  He revealed that being on vacation had taught him he didn't have to live a miserable life.

As noted, it's not cheerful.  Perhaps its ironic, therefore, that the much longer post I took this from started off with:

Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.

St. Philip Neri.

Well, it's hard to see how we lawyers are Servants of God.  Indeed, I fear out dedication to money has been such that we're getting to the point that's all we're the servants of.

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

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 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

 

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

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.

 

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.

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 . . . 

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. 

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.

Lex Anteinternet: Biden Nominates Kentaji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court

Lex Anteinternet: Biden Nominates Kentaji Brown Jackson to the Unite...:   

Biden Nominates Kentaji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court

 

Jackson with Justice Breyer, whom she is nominated to replace.

She's no doubt qualified and is a sitting DC Circuit Federal Appeals Court Judge, but I'll admit I'm disappointed.  Jackson is a Harvard Law graduate, making the Ivy League grip on the court seemingly irreversible.  She's also married to another Harvard graduate, a surgeon, who is of the Boston Brahmin class.

I was hoping for a less Ivy League nominee

She's likely to pass, however, the Senate Judiciary Committee and receive enough votes to be seated, an important consideration for any nominee is this highly polarized era.

Blog Mirror: Practicing During Covid

This article is an absolute classic. The best written work to come out of the pandemic.

Practicing During Covid.