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Wyoming Supreme Court justice vacancy (January 2022)
| Wyoming Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Davis vacancy |
| Date: January 16, 2022 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: John G. Fenn |
| Date: December 2, 2021 |
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon (R) appointed John G. Fenn to the Wyoming Supreme Court on December 2, 2021. Fenn was nominated to succeed Justice Michael Davis, who retired on January 16, 2022, upon reaching the state court's mandatory retirement age of 70 years.[1][2] Fenn's term began on January 17, 2022. Fenn was Gov. Gordon's first nominee to the five-member supreme court.
At the time of the vacancy under Wyoming law, justices of the Wyoming Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. When a vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a replacement from a list of three names provided by a nominating commission.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Wyoming Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of finalists recommended to the governor.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2022.
The appointee
- See also: John G. Fenn
Prior to joining the Wyoming Supreme Court, Fenn served as a judge with the Fourth District Court of Johnson and Sheridan counties, Wyoming. He was appointed to the court in January 2007.[3] Prior to his judicial service, Fenn was a partner in the law firm Yonkee & Toner from 1993 to 2006.[4]
Fenn earned a bachelor's degree and a J.D. from the University of Wyoming.[4]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Finalists
The Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission recommended three finalists to Gov. Gordon.[5]
- District Court Judge John G. Fenn
- Attorney Robert C. Jarosh
- Attorney Melinda S. McCorkle
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Wyoming
At the time of the vacancy, the five justices of the Wyoming Supreme Court were selected through the assisted appointment method. When a vacancy occurred, the governor would appoint a replacement from a list of three names provided by the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission.[6]
Newly appointed judges would serve for at least one year, after which they had to stand for retention in the next general election. If retained, a judge would finish the remainder of their predecessor's unexpired term. Subsequent terms would last eight years.[7]
Makeup of the court
- See also: Wyoming Supreme Court
Justices
Following Davis' retirement, the Wyoming Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Lynne Boomgaarden | Appointed by Gov. Matt Mead (R) in 2017 | |
| ■ Kate M. Fox | Appointed by Gov. Mead (R) in 2013 | |
| ■ Keith G. Kautz | Appointed by Gov. Mead (R) in 2015 | |
| ■ Kari Gray | Appointed by Gov. Mead (R) in 2018 |
About the court
| Wyoming Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 5 |
| Founded: 1889 |
| Location: Cheyenne |
| Salary |
| Associates: $187,250[8] |
| Judicial Selection |
| Method: Assisted appointment (hybrid) |
| Term: 8 years |
| Active justices |
| Lynne Boomgaarden, John G. Fenn, Kari Jo Gray, Bridget Hill, Robert Jarosh |
Founded in 1889, the Wyoming Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Lynne Boomgaarden as of the May 28, 2025.[9]
As of May 2025, all five judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.
The Wyoming Supreme Court is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. [10]
In Wyoming, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
About Justice Davis
- See also: Michael Davis
Justice Davis joined the Wyoming Supreme Court in 2012. He was appointed to the court by Governor Matt Mead (R).
Before becoming a justice on the supreme court, Davis served as a judge on the First District Court in Laramie County, Wyoming. From 1980 to 2008, he was a partner at Yonkee and Toner. He has also been a judicial fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.[11]
Davis earned a bachelor's degree from Western State College of Colorado in 1977. He earned a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1980.[12]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2022
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2022
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2022. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Laramie Boomerang, "Wyo. Supreme Court justice to retire in January," September 8, 2021
- ↑ Casper Star Tribune, "Fenn to join Wyoming Supreme Court," December 2, 2021
- ↑ Wyoming Judicial Branch, "District Courts Directory," accessed December 3, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wyoming News Now, "Judge John Fenn appointed to Wyoming Supreme Court," December 2, 2021
- ↑ Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission, "JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSION ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR THE VACANCY IN THE WYOMING SUPREME COURT," November 3, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Merit Selection: Current Status," accessed August 12, 2021
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wyoming," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
- ↑ Facebook, "Wyoming State Bar," accessed June 2, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Judicial Branch, "About the Supreme Court," accessed August 12, 2021
- ↑ Trib.com, "Gov. Mead appoints Wyoming Supreme Court justice," August 30, 2012
- ↑ Wyoming Judicial Branch, "Justice Michael K. Davis," archived August 19, 2016
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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
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