Lex Anteinternet: Limiting Supreme Court terms

Lex Anteinternet: Limiting Supreme Court terms: An interesting proposal is being floated to limit Supreme Court terms to 18  years, with those terms being staggered so that one comes up e...

Lex Anteinternet: Antonin Scalia passes on.

Lex Anteinternet: Antonin Scalia passes on.: By the time this goes up here, this will hardly be in the category of really new "news", as it was already widely discussed an...

Johnson County Justice Center, Buffalo Wyoming

This is the Johnson County Justice Center in Buffalo Wyoming. This structure replaced the old Johnson County Courthouse that was in use up until recently.

Holscher's Hub: Blog Mirror: Heritage Calling: 10 Tips for Archi...

Holscher's Hub: Blog Mirror: Heritage Calling: 10 Tips for Archi...: 10 Tips for Architectural Photography.

State Capitol, Cheyenne Wyoming

 

This is the State Capitol building in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  While I didn't realize it at the time that I took this photograph, the State Capitol contains a courtroom which was used by the Wyoming Supreme Court up until it had a courthouse of its own.  The courtroom is soon to be restored.

 

State Capitol as viewed from the street.  The current Wyoming Supreme Court building would be off to the right in this photograph.

City and County Building, Cheyenne Wyoming

This is the old City and County Building in Cheyenne Wyoming which, at one time, housed all of the offices of the City of Cheyenne and Laramie County, including the courts.

This building has been partially replaced by the Laramie County Government Complex, which physically adjoins it.

This Federal style Classical Revival building was built completed in 1919.  A better view of the building would be from its front, rather than the sides as depicted, which would show its classic columns, but under the constraints of time when this photograph was taken, that couldn't be done.

Laramie County Government Complex, Cheyenne Wyoming

 Laramie County government complex

This is the Laramie County government complex, which houses the District and Circuit courts of the 1st Judicial District. This fairly new building is quite modern in design and appearance.

Old Wyoming State Penitentiary, Rawlins Wyoming.

This may seem like sort of an odd entry for this blog, but it really should come as no surprise.  The penitentiary is part of the judicial system, and therefore it has a place on a blog that's dedicated to judicial buildings.

This particular penitentiary is the old Wyoming State Penitentiary, the second penitentiary the state had. The first one was located in Laramie Wyoming in territorial days. That building is still there, and is used as a museum. When I went to the University of Wyoming, it was the sheep barn.

This one, the second penitentiary, is located in Rawlins Wyoming.  It's also a museum, as it has been replaced by a new, more modern, penitentiary also located near Rawlins.

I don't know if court was ever held inside the penitentiary.  I doubt it. But it does serve to remember that institutions like this are part of the judicial system.

Old Anchorage City Hall, Anchorage Alaska

Once the largest building in Anchorage, albeit only very briefly, this city hall held all the municipal offices from 1936 until some date in the 1970s.  

A fairly substantial building, it provides additional evidence of how surprisingly busy Anchorage was during the 1930s.

Federal Building, Anchorage Alaska

This is the Federal Building in Anchorage Alaska, which was built in 1941.  The Art Deco style building is very substantial, and the building is one of several in Anchorage which show the extent of development in the city in the 1930s and 1940s.  It was, and is, a very modern building for the port city, which might surprise those who wouldn't have expected this type of architecture and development for Anchorage in this, pre oil development, era.

The courtroom was, and is, a prominent feature of the building.

Natrona County Courthouses from the air.

Natrona County's courthouses from the air, as viewed from a Ford Tri Motor.  The classic old courthouse is in the upper middle of the photograph, but the Townsend Justice Center and the Hall of Justice are also visible.  The Federal Courthouse is not visible, however.

Old Sweetwater County Courthouse, Green River Wyoming

This is the old Sweetwater County Courthouse in Green River Wyoming. This courthouse, built in 1906, is on the same block as the new courthouse that replaced it. Fortunately, this attractive original courthouse was preserved when the new one was built.  I don't know what use this courthouse serves today.

Sweetwater County Courthouse, Green River, Wyoming.

This is the current courthouse in Green River, Sweetwater County, Wyoming.  This modern style courthouse houses Wyoming's Third Judicial District.  I'm unsure of the vintage of this courthouse, but my guess would be that it was built in the 1960s or 1970s.

Holscher's Hub: Carlisle County Courthouse, Carlisle Pennsylvania

Holscher's Hub: Carlisle County Courthouse, Carlisle Pennsylvania

Now these (and I have to admit the recent photos of the Old Courthouse in Toronto) are not western courthouses at all, but eastern ones, including one very old eastern one. They're posted here, however to demonstrate the appearance of eastern courthouses and how they influenced the latter ones of the West, or not.

The first is the Carlisle County Courthouse in Carlisle Pennsylvania.  This Federal style courthouse strongly resembles those built by the Federal government everywhere in the 1930s.  This isn't a Federal courthouse, but its style shows up in the West quite a bit.

Carlisle County Courthouse, Carlisle Pennsylvania

The second is the Old Courthouse, across the street from the one above. This one is quite old, having been built in 1846, and is of another style.  I've never seen this style used in the West.

Old Courthouse, Cumberland County Pennsylvania

On This Day in Wyoming History… 1915: The Wyoming State Bar Association Created | Wyoming Postscripts

On This Day in Wyoming History… 1915: The Wyoming State Bar Association Created | Wyoming Postscripts

Toronto Ontario Old Town Hall and York County Courthouse, Toronto Ontario

This is the Toronto Old City Hall and York County Courthouse, a massive structure in downtown Toronto that was built to hold a court, and which still does even though many of its other original functions are no longer carried on in this building.  I'm uncertain of the current jurisdiction of the court, although there is a listing for it under Ontario Court of Justice on a non governmental website.

This very large structure took a decade to build, having been started in 1889, and completed in 1899.

As with a similar entry on the Churches of the West blog, a person can take exception to my having listed this courthouse here, as its not really in the West.  Nonetheless, at the time in which it was built, 1899, Toronto retained a bit of a western feel, as much of Canada did at that time.

Park County Courthouse, Cody Wyoming

This is the Park County Courthouse in Cody Wyoming. The older part of the courthouse was built in 1912, and replaced an earlier courthouse.  The newer portions of the courthouse were built in 1983.

In my mind, the newer part of the courthouse is a bit unfortunate in terms of design, as it doesn't mesh well at all with  the architecture of the older structure.  It's one of at least three Wyoming courthouses where this has been done, with the other two being in Lusk and Sheridan.  On the plus side, the older structure, which had been outgrown, was preserved by this approach.

2014_Statewide_Judicial_Summary.pdf

2014_Statewide_Judicial_Summary.pdf



As is typically the result, every Wyoming judge up for retention this year easily won retention.  That's a good sign, of course, as it means people generally feel that they're doing a good job.

Lex Anteinternet: The Jurisdictional Agony of the D. C. Circuit. Wo...

Lex Anteinternet: The Jurisdictional Agony of the D. C. Circuit. Wo...: I'm really sick of the  Federal District of Columbia judicial circuit. What brings this comment about is the decision by Judge ...

Recent Comments feature restored.

FWIW, the "Recent Comments" feature has been restored to working order.

Oklahoma City U.S. Federal Building & Courthouse, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

This is the U.S. Federal Building & Courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This building, built in 1960s, is s survivor of the brutal domestic terrorist attack that wrecked the Murrah building that was across from it.  A memorial to the victims of that attack is now located there, across from the courthouse.

United States Post Office and Courthouse, Oklahoma City.

This is the 1912 vintage Federal courthouse and post office in Oklahoma City.  This classic courthouse is no longer used for civil or criminal trials, having been replaced by a new courthouse nearby, but it is still used for bankruptcy proceedings.  I've been told that the most famous trial to have been held here was the criminal trial of Machine Gun Kelly.

The courthouse was a courthouse of the Western District of Oklahoma, and for a time was used by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals prior to Oklahoma being reassigned to the 10th Circuit.

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: S. Arthur Spiegel | United States Co...

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: S. Arthur Spiegel | United States Co...: WWII Profile: S. Arthur Spiegel | United States Courts

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: I. Leo Glasser | United States Court...

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: I. Leo Glasser | United States Court...: WWII Profile: I. Leo Glasser | United States Courts

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: Arthur D. Spatt | United States Cour...

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: Arthur D. Spatt | United States Cour...: WWII Profile: Arthur D. Spatt | United States Courts

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: Dickinson R. Debevoise | United Stat...

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: Dickinson R. Debevoise | United Stat...: WWII Profile: Dickinson R. Debevoise | United States Courts

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: Arthur L. Alarcon | United States Co...

Lex Anteinternet: WWII Profile: Arthur L. Alarcon | United States Co...: WWII Profile: Arthur L. Alarcon | United States Courts

Lex Anteinternet: Still Serving Their Country: Nearly 70 WWII Vetera...

Lex Anteinternet: Still Serving Their Country: Nearly 70 WWII Vetera...: Still Serving Their Country: Nearly 70 WWII Veterans Remain on Federal Bench | United States Courts

Natrona County Townsend Justice Center

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This set of photographs is a bit unusual, as you can see the courthouse actually being built, or rather rebuilt.

This is the Townsend Justice Center in Casper, Natrona County, Wyoming. The courthouse houses the state district and circuit courts for the county, those being the courts of the Seventh Judicial District.

This courthouse was the subject of a great deal of controversy. The old Natrona County Courthouse stands across the street, and was much admired by residents of the county. The district court, however, had outgrown the courthouse, and the circuit courts were located in yet another building. There was, therefore, a need to add a courthouse or revise the existing one, particularly after the addition of a third judge. Early efforts proved unpopular with the county's voters, but ultimately the state took the unusual step of funding reconstruction at this structure.

The building itself had been a downtown hotel built in the 1920s, in the golden era of tall hotels. The building had served in this capacity for many years, but entered a slow period of decline in the 1960s. By the late 1970s, the hotel was principally the residence of those down and out on their luck, or of street walkers, but the restaurant remained popular with downtown businessmen. The Petroleum Club, a long time popular club, was attached to it, but was actually in a neighboring building but with access through the Townsend.

After the Petroleum Club moved, the owners of the Townsend finally closed it and it remained vacant for over two decades. When the court needed to move, however, a deal was struck whereby the building was acquired for a nominal fee, and re construction began.

Today, the new and old parts of the building house an ultra modern courthouse, but some of the old signs remain, a written record of its origin as a hotel.

For what it is worth, if you are summoned to jury duty in the District Court for the 7th Judicial District, or the Circuit Court for the 7th Judicial District, this is where you want to go.

The photos added immediately above were taken quite some time after the originals, and were taken while I was waiting for a Circuit Court hearing.  This depicts one of the Circuit Court, courtrooms. The District Court courtrooms are quite a bit bigger.

The courtrooms in this courthouse are quite modern in the District Court, and perhaps when I get he opportunity I'll add a photograph of one. They were designed to be high tech and are.