Wyoming District Courts
Encyclopedia
Wyoming District Courts are the state trial court
s of general jurisdiction
in Wyoming
.
The District Courts hears all felony
criminal
cases and civil
cases with an amount in controversy
in excess of $7,000. The District Courts also exercise exclusive
original jurisdiction
in all juvenile
and probate
matters. The district courts also hear appeals from lower Circuit Courts, which are courts of limited jurisdiction
that hear small claims and misdemeanor
s,
Like justices of the Wyoming Supreme Court
, district judges are chosen via the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission. The Governor appoints a judge from a list of three qualified persons submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission, and retention election
s are held as for Supreme Court justices. District judges serve six-year terms. A district judge must be an attorney
at least 28 years old, a United States citizen
, and a resident of Wyoming for at least two years. Like Supreme Court justices, district judges have a mandatory retirement age of 70.
Each district judge hires a court reporter
, who keep a verbatim record of court proceedings
and prepares a written transcript
of proceedings, which are often necessary for appeal
s or other further legal action. Court reporters also serve as assistants to district judge with administrative duties. Some district courts have full-time or part-time law clerk
s.
An elected clerk of court in each county keeps the records of the district court, including case files (which including the written records of a case, including complaint
, answer
s, pleading
s, orders
, judgment
, and opinion) and a docket. Clerks receive and transmit fees and monies deposited with the court, and manages the calling and initial examination
of the jurors
for the court.
Wyoming's 23 counties are divided in nine districts with a total of 22 judges. District court is held in the county seat
of each county, and judges regularly travel to all counties within their district to hear cases that arise there.
Because Wyoming has no intermediate appellate court
, appeals from the district courts go directly to the Supreme Court.
Trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court in which trials take place. Such courts are said to have original jurisdiction.- In the United States :...
s of general jurisdiction
General jurisdiction
A court of general jurisdiction is one that has the authority to hear cases of all kinds - criminal, civil, family, probate, and so forth.-Courts of general jurisdiction in the United States:All federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. Many U.S...
in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
The District Courts hears all felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
criminal
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
cases and civil
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
cases with an amount in controversy
Amount in controversy
Amount in controversy is a term used in United States civil procedure to denote the amount at stake in a lawsuit, in particular in connection with a requirement that persons seeking to bring a lawsuit in a particular court must be suing for a certain minimum amount before that court may hear the...
in excess of $7,000. The District Courts also exercise exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive typically means not with other things or not including other things.The terms inclusive and exclusive are contrasting terms, and often appear in the same context to describe contrasting things.Exclusive may refer to:...
original jurisdiction
Original jurisdiction
The original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a court has the power to review a lower court's decision.-France:...
in all juvenile
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
and probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
matters. The district courts also hear appeals from lower Circuit Courts, which are courts of limited jurisdiction
Limited jurisdiction
Limited jurisdiction, or special jurisdiction, is the courts' jurisdiction only on certain types of cases such as bankruptcy, family matters, etc....
that hear small claims and misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
s,
Like justices of the Wyoming Supreme Court
Wyoming Supreme Court
The Wyoming Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices. Each Justice is appointed by the Governor of Wyoming for an eight-year term. The five Justices select the Chief Justice from amongst themselves. The person...
, district judges are chosen via the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission. The Governor appoints a judge from a list of three qualified persons submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission, and retention election
Retention election
A judicial retention election is a periodic process whereby a judge is subject to a referendum held at the same time as a general election...
s are held as for Supreme Court justices. District judges serve six-year terms. A district judge must be an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
at least 28 years old, a United States citizen
Citizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
, and a resident of Wyoming for at least two years. Like Supreme Court justices, district judges have a mandatory retirement age of 70.
Each district judge hires a court reporter
Court reporter
A court reporter, stenotype reporter, voice writing reporter, or transcriber is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, using machine shorthand or voice writing equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositions and other...
, who keep a verbatim record of court proceedings
Court of record
In common law jurisdictions, a court of record is a judicial tribunal having attributes and exercising functions independently of the person of the magistrate designated generally to hold it, and proceeding according to the course of common law, its acts and proceedings being enrolled for a...
and prepares a written transcript
Transcript (law)
A transcript is a written record of spoken language. In court proceedings, a transcript is usually a record of all decisions of the judge, and the spoken arguments by the litigants' lawyers. A related term used in the US is docket, not a full transcript. The transcript is expected to be an exact...
of proceedings, which are often necessary for appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s or other further legal action. Court reporters also serve as assistants to district judge with administrative duties. Some district courts have full-time or part-time law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
s.
An elected clerk of court in each county keeps the records of the district court, including case files (which including the written records of a case, including complaint
Complaint
In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons that the filing party or parties In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties In...
, answer
Answer
Generally, an answer is a reply to a question or is a solution, a retaliation, or a response that is relevant to the said question.In law, an answer was originally a solemn assertion in opposition to some one or something, and thus generally any counter-statement or defense, a reply to a question...
s, pleading
Pleading
In law as practiced in countries that follow the English models, a pleading is a formal written statement filed with a court by parties in a civil action, other than a motion...
s, orders
Court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case...
, judgment
Judgment
A judgment , in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. At the same time the court may also make a range of court orders, such as imposing a sentence upon a guilty defendant in a criminal matter, or providing a remedy for the plaintiff in a civil...
, and opinion) and a docket. Clerks receive and transmit fees and monies deposited with the court, and manages the calling and initial examination
Jury selection
Jury selection are many methods used to choose the people who will serve on a trial jury. The jury pool is first selected from among the community using a reasonably random method. The prospective jurors are then questioned in court by the judge and/or attorneys...
of the jurors
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
for the court.
Wyoming's 23 counties are divided in nine districts with a total of 22 judges. District court is held in the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of each county, and judges regularly travel to all counties within their district to hear cases that arise there.
- First Judicial District - LaramieLaramie County, WyomingLaramie County is the most populous of the 23 counties of the U.S. state of Wyoming. The county is located in the southeastern corner of the state. The county's population was 91,738 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cheyenne, the state capital...
- Second Judicial District - Albany, CarbonCarbon County, WyomingCarbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of 2010, the population was 15,885. Its county seat is Rawlins.- History :Carbon County was organized in 1868....
- Third Judicial District - Lincoln, Sweetwater, UintaUinta County, Wyoming-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,742 people, 6,823 households, and 5,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 8,011 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
- Fourth Judicial District - Johnson, Sheridan
- Fifth Judicial District - Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie
- Sixth Judicial District - Campbell, Crook, Weston
- Seventh Judicial District - Natrona
- Eighth Judicial District - Converse, Goshen, Niobrara, Platte
- Ninth Judicial District - Fremont, Sublette, TetonTeton County, WyomingTeton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of 2010, the population was 21,294. Its county seat is Jackson. Teton County contains the affluent Jackson Hole skiing area...
Because Wyoming has no intermediate appellate court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
, appeals from the district courts go directly to the Supreme Court.