Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Wyoming Supreme Court elections, 2016
 |
Presidential • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • State judges • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Candidate ballot access |
 |
| 2016 State Judicial Elections |
|---|
 |
| Part 1: Overview |
| Part 2: Supreme Courts |
| Part 3: Partisanship |
| Part 4: Changes in 2016 |
Three seats on the Wyoming Supreme Court were up for retention elections on November 8, 2016. Justice William U. Hill, appointed 1998, Justice Kate M. Fox, appointed 2013, and Justice Keith Kautz, appointed 2015, faced retention elections. If retained, a supreme court justice serves an eight-year term.
Justices who faced retention
■ Kate M. Fox 
■ William U. Hill
■ Keith G. Kautz
Election results
November 8 general election
Kate M. Fox was retained in the Wyoming Supreme Court. She won election with 76.32% of the vote.
| Wyoming Supreme Court, Fox's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Kate M. Fox | 76.32% | |
| Source: Wyoming Secretary of State Official Results | ||
William U. Hill (Wyoming) was retained in the Wyoming Supreme Court. He won election with 76.24% of the vote.
| Wyoming Supreme Court, Hill's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| William U. Hill (Wyoming) | 76.24% | |
| Source: Wyoming Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Keith G. Kautz was retained in the Wyoming Supreme Court. He won election with 76.56% of the vote.
| Wyoming Supreme Court, Kautz's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Keith G. Kautz | 76.56% | |
| Source: Wyoming Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Political composition
Justices on the Wyoming Supreme Court are nonpartisan and appointed to their seats. Justice James Burke is the only sitting justice appointed by a Democratic governor. Burke was appointed by Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) in 2005.
| ■ Chief Justice E. James Burke | Appointed by Dave Freudenthal (D) in 2005 | |
| ■ William U. Hill | Appointed by Jim Geringer (R) in 1988 | |
| ■ Michael K. Davis | Appointed by Matt Mead (R) in 2012 | |
| ■ Kate M. Fox | Appointed by Matt Mead (R) in 2013 | |
| ■ Keith G. Kautz | Appointed by Matt Mead (R) in 2015 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Wyoming
Judicial selection
Wyoming judicial elections consist solely of retention elections. In these elections, judges do not compete against another candidate, but voters are given a "yes" or "no" choice whether to keep the justice in office for another term. Candidates must win a majority of the vote for retention.[1]
Qualifications
Requirements for service as a justice on the court are laid out in Article 5 of the Wyoming Constitution and include:
- U.S. citizenship
- Wyoming resident for at least 3 years
- Nine years of legal experience
- Minimum age of 30
- The mandatory retirement age is 70
State profile
| Demographic data for Wyoming | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 586,555 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 97,093 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 2.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.7% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $58,840 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wyoming. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Wyoming
Wyoming voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Wyoming coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Wyoming
- United States congressional delegations from Wyoming
- Public policy in Wyoming
- Endorsers in Wyoming
- Wyoming fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Wyoming court elections' OR 'Wyoming Supreme Court 2016' OR 'Wyoming Supreme Court election'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
| ||||||||||
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Wyoming • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Wyoming
State courts:
Wyoming Supreme Court • Wyoming District Courts • Wyoming Circuit Courts • Wyoming Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Wyoming • Wyoming judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wyoming
