WY Judges Standing for Retention – 2022 General Election

There are fifteen judges standing for retention in the 2022 Wyoming General Election:  Five District Court judges whose six year terms are due to expire in January 2023, and ten Circuit Court judges whose four year terms are due to expire at that same time.

There are no Wyoming Supreme Court Justices (eight year terms) or Chancery Court Judges that will occur on the 2022 General Election ballot.  (For more info on the newly established Chancery Court and Municipal judges, click the spoiler alerts below.)

The Election Process for Judges

While WY Citizens can’t select their judges, they can vote to keep (retain) or remove them. Unlike the executive and legislative branches of WY government, Wyoming Citizens do not vote to initially nominate, nor seat, judges to the judicial bench.  Instead, per our Wyoming State Constitution, the WY Judicial Nominating Commission selects and recommends three candidates to the current governor to fill a vacancy in the supreme, district and circuit courts.  The governor then appoints one candidate to fill that vacancy until the end of the term for that seat.  When their first term is coming to an end, and all other terms thereafter, judges appear on general election ballots where WY Citizens are asked to vote, “Yes” or “No”, on whether or not to retain them.

To keep his seat, a judge must receive more than 50% “Yes” votes from the total number of ballots cast.

When voting on a “Judge Standing for Retention”:

• a “Yes” vote is a citizen’s approval to retain the judge
• a “No” vote is a citizen’s assertion to remove the judge

If a voter leaves this portion of their ballot blank it will show up as an “Under Vote” when tabulated later by election officials.  Since a judge requires a majority of “Yes” votes to be retained, Under Votes ultimately count as a No vote.  (“Over Votes” are when a voter votes twice on the same question, thereby canceling-out that vote altogether.)

For more on the retainment process read Article 5, Section 4 of our WY State Constitution.

WY Judges Standing for Retention in 2022

Lists for District Court and Circuit Court judges standing for retention in 2022 occur below the map on this page.  To use these lists, simply look for the county where you reside and click on that judge’s name.  Each name is linked to a bio page that we have created to assist in educating Wyoming Citizens on their judges.  We have provided just about any info we could find on each judge, including:

• Past retention votes from previous elections
• Past results from Wyoming State Bar Judicial Advisory Polls
• Current results from Wyoming State Bar Judicial Performance Assessments
• Each Judge’s “Bench Book” – also available through the Wyoming State Bar

The Wyoming State Bar Judicial Advisory Polls and Judicial Performance Assessments detail how WY attorneys rate WY judges on their merits – such as Impartiality/Fairness, Diligence, Temperament, etc.  Using the links that we share, we encourage our readers to explore these details.

Also provided by the Wyoming State Bar, judge’s Bench Books are guides that provide an overview of procedures and rules that each judge expects all parties to adhere to in their court room.  Scanning through these Bench Books, a citizen can get a better idea of the professional standards and decorum that their judges insist upon in their court rooms.

The following map illustrates the Judicial Districts of Wyoming where both District Courts and Circuit Courts have jurisdiction.  There are no judges from the 5th Judicial District (Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park & Washakie counties) that will occur on the 2022 ballot.

DISTRICT COURT JUDGES

District Court Judges serve 6 year terms.

The district courts hear felony criminal cases, civil cases where more than $50,000 is sought, juvenile matters and probate matters.  They also hear appeals from lower court decisions.  The work of the district courts includes trials in the most serious cases.  There are 23 district judges, organized into nine judicial districts.
Source: Wyoming State Bar, Judicial Branch FAQ page

CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES

Circuit Court Judges serve 4 year terms.

Circuit courts hear all misdemeanor criminal cases and civil cases where less than $50,000 is sought.  Circuit courts also hear family violence, stalking, and forcible entry and detainer cases.  The circuit courts may set bail for people accused of crimes, and conduct preliminary hearings in felony cases.
Source: Wyoming State Bar, Judicial Branch FAQ page