United States District Court for the District of Wyoming

Last updated
United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
(D. Wyo.)
District-Wyoming.png
Location Cheyenne
More locations
Appeals to Tenth Circuit
EstablishedJuly 10, 1890
Judges3
Chief Judge Kelly H. Rankin
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann (acting)
U.S. Marshal Randall P. Huff
www.wyd.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the District of Wyoming (in case citations, D. Wyo.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Wyoming and those portions of Yellowstone National Park situated in Montana and Idaho; [1] it is the only federal court district that includes portions of more than one state, creating a possible "Zone of Death" where it would be difficult to prosecute crimes. [a] The court has locations in Cheyenne and Casper.

Contents

Appeals from this court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of January 13, 2025, the acting United States attorney is Eric Heimann. [3]

Current judges

As of March 12,2024:

#TitleJudgeDuty stationBornTerm of serviceAppointed by
Active Chief Senior
9Chief Judge Kelly H. Rankin Cheyenne 19672024–present2025–present— Biden
5District Judge Alan Bond Johnson Cheyenne 19391985–present1992–1999— Reagan
8District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl Casper 19662011–present2018–2025— Obama
7Senior Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal Cheyenne 19542010–20222011–20182022–present Obama

Former judges

#JudgeStateBorn–diedActive service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed byReason for
termination
1 John Alden Riner WY 1850–19231890–1921—1921–1923 B. Harrison death
2 Thomas Blake Kennedy WY 1874–19571921–1955—1955–1957 Harding death
3 Ewing Thomas Kerr WY 1900–19921955–1975 [Note 1] —1975–1992 Eisenhower death
4 Clarence Addison Brimmer Jr. WY 1922–20141975–20061986–19922006–2014 Ford death
6 William F. Downes WY 1946–present1994–20111999–2011— Clinton retirement
  1. ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 12, 1956, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 1, 1956, and received commission on March 2, 1956

Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Zone of death

Law professor Brian C. Kalt has argued that it may be impossible to impanel a jury in compliance with the Vicinage Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution for a crime committed solely in the Idaho portion of Yellowstone National Park (and that it would be difficult to do so for a crime committed solely in the Montana portion). [4] This has been referred to as the Zone of Death. [5] [6]

Succession of seats

United States attorneys for the District of Wyoming

U.S. attorneys for Wyoming including the Wyoming Territory: [7] [8]

NameTerm startedTerm endedPresidents served under
Joseph M. Carey 18691871 Ulysses S. Grant
John James Jenkins 18761880Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes
Anthony C. Campbell 18851890 Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin F. Fowler 18901894 Benjamin Harrison
Gibson Clark 18941898Grover Cleveland and William McKinley
Benjamin M. Ausherman 18981907William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt
Timothy F. Burke 19071911Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
Hillard S. Ridgely 19111914William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson
Charles L. Rigdon 19141921Woodrow Wilson
Albert D. Walton 19211933 Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
Carl L. Sackett 19331949 Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman
John Coleman Pickett 19491949Harry Truman
John J. Hickey 19491953Harry Truman
John F. Raper 19531961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Robert N. Chaffin 19611969 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard V. Thomas 19691974 Richard Nixon
Clarence Addison Brimmer Jr. 19741975 Gerald Ford
James P. Castberg 19751977Gerald Ford
Toshiro Suyematsu 19771977Gerald Ford
Charles E. Graves 19771981 Jimmy Carter
Toshiro Suyematsu 19811981Jimmy Carter
Richard A. Stacy 19811994 Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton
Dave Freudenthal 19942001Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
Matt Mead 20012007George W. Bush
John R. Green 20072008George W. Bush
Kelly H. Rankin 20082009George W. Bush and Barack Obama
Christopher A. Crofts 20102017Barack Obama
Mark Klaassen 20172021 Donald Trump and Joe Biden
L. Robert Murray [9] 20212022Joe Biden
Nicholas Vassallo [10] 20222024
Eric Heimann2024present

See also

References

  1. ↑ 28 U.S.C.   § 131.
  2. ↑ https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1124T GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office. AMERICAN SAMOA: Issues Associated with Some Federal Court Options. September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ "District of Wyoming | Meet the United States Attorney | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  4. ↑ Brian C. Kalt, The Perfect Crime, 93 Geo. L.J. 675 (2005).
  5. ↑ Kerry, Wolfe. "Yellowstone's Zone of Death". Atlas Obscura.
  6. ↑ Therriault, Ednor (December 2018). Myths and Legends of Yellowstone. Bowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1493032150 . Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ "About The District". www.justice.gov. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  8. ↑ Executive Office for United States Attorneys (1989). Bicentennial Celebration of United States Attorneys, 1789–1989 (PDF) (Report). Washington, District of Columbia: United States Department of Justice. p. 215.
  9. ↑ "District of Wyoming | UNITED STATES ATTORNEY BOB MURRAY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  10. ↑ "District of Wyoming | U.S. Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announces his retirement | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2025-01-13.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Two other federal district courts do hold jurisdiction over territory outside of their state but within a US territory instead of another state: the District Court of Hawaii holds jurisdiction within the state of Hawaii and the United States Minor Outlying Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the US territory of American Samoa has no federal district court or territorial court, and federal cases are heard by either American Samoa's local High Court, the District Court of Hawaii, or District Court for DC. [2]

41°08′13″N104°49′08″W / 41.137°N 104.819°W / 41.137; -104.819

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