League of Women Voters Voter Guide 2004
Judicial Retention
Second Judicial District
The Second Judicial District comprises Albany and Carbon Counties in
Wyoming.
It is the court of general jurisdiction for civil and criminal cases,
having jurisdiction over cases involving more money than the circuit
court may adjudicate. It has exclusive jurisdiction over probate,
family law (divorce, child custody, alimony, child support, for
example), juvenile court (criminal matters charged against those under
18), and felony criminal matters, real property matters, and hears
appeals from the circuit court. There are two judges in the second
judicial district; Judge Wade Waldrip, who sits in Rawlins, and Judge
Jeffrey A. Donnell, in Laramie. They can hear cases in each other's
courts if need be. A district court judge can sit on the state supreme
court in place of a justice who cannot for some reason hear a given
case. District court judges serve for six years and then must be voted
back into office in a general election.
Jeffrey A. Donnell:
He was appointed to the Second Judicial District in 1996 to replace
Arthur Hanscom. Before being appointed to the bench, Judge Donnell was
in private practice as an attorney. He graduated from UW Law School
with honors in 1977.
Bar Association Ratings: The Wyoming State Bar conducts a survey of
judges annually, asking the attorneys to give ratings from one
(highest) to five (lowest) in several categories: knowledge of
substantive law - 1.7; application of rules of evidence &
procedures - 1.7; judicial opinions well reasoned and clearly expressed
- 1.8; open-mindedness & impartiality in judicial matters - 2.3;
attentiveness to arguments of counsel - 1.8; courteousness and
politeness toward attorneys and litigants - 2.1; deliberateness in
reaching judicial decisions - 1.8; promptness in performing judicial
duties - 1.7; diligence in attending to court duties and business -
1.7; age and health such that he can perform duties effectively - 99.3%
yes; has the integrity to carry out the duties of judicial office -
94.8% yes. These ratings are in all but two categories higher that the
average for district court judges, which range from 1.92 to 2.37, and
on the questions of health and age, and integrity, are 95.59 and 95.22,
respectively.