LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF WYOMING

Judicial Retention Information

Wyoming Supreme Court

Supreme Court justices in Wyoming are appointed by the Governor. After appointment, they must “stand” for retention, that is, whether they are to remain in office, every eight years. The general election ballot in November will have their names on it. To help voters make more informed decisions, the League has prepared a summary of the ratings given to each justice in the survey conducted by the Wyoming State Bar and the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming. Attorneys were asked to rate the justices on eleven questions; 3 is the highest rating, 5 is the lowest. The full survey is available on the Bar Association’s website: www.wyomingbar.org.

Supreme

Question E. James Burke Michael Golden Court Avg.

Knowledge of the law. 3.61 3.51 3.60

Judicial opinions are well reasoned and

clearly expressed. 3.64 3.61 3.66

Open-minded and impartial in judicial matters. 3.63 3.73 3.70

Well prepared for oral arguments. 3.50 3.47 3.50

Attentive to arguments of counsel. 3.50 3.51 3.52

Courteous and polite. 3.47 3.53 3.50

Addresses and answers issues squarely posed. 3.62 3.65 3.63

Industry/prompt in performing judicial duties. 3.54 3.52 3.51

Participates in law-related professional activities. 3.32 3.64 3.51

Judge has integrity and ethics to carry out the duties

of the judicial office. 3.37 3.42 3.44

Do you Favor or Oppose retention Favor 93.4% 89.8%

of this judge for another term? Oppose 6.6% 10.2%