Wyoming District Courts

Last updated

Wyoming District Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in Wyoming. [1]

The District Courts hears all felony criminal cases and civil cases with an amount in controversy in excess of $50,000. [2] 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 misdemeanors,

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 elections 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 appeals 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 clerks.

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, answers, pleadings, 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.

Map of Wyoming District Courts
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
First Judicial District
Second Judicial District
Third Judicial District
Fourth Judicial District
Fifth Judicial District
Sixth Judicial District
Seventh Judicial District
Eighth Judicial District
Ninth Judicial District Wyoming District Courts.svg
Map of Wyoming District Courts
  First Judicial District
  Second Judicial District
  Third Judicial District
  Fourth Judicial District
  Fifth Judicial District
  Sixth Judicial District
  Seventh Judicial District
  Eighth Judicial District
  Ninth Judicial District

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.

In 2019, the Chancery Court of the State of Wyoming (Wyoming Chancery Court) was created by legislation, with a limited defined subject matter jurisdiction over business, commercial, and trust litigation. [3] District court judges share concurrent jurisdiction over these same subject matter case types with the Chancery Court under Wyoming Statute § 5-13-115(d). [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States district court</span> Trial court of the U.S. federal judiciary

The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one federal courthouse in each district, and many districts have more than one. District court decisions are appealed to the U.S. court of appeals for the circuit in which they reside, except for certain specialized cases that are appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales.

In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction, which is restricted to civil cases involving monetary amounts with a specific limit, or criminal cases involving offenses of a less serious nature. A superior court may hear appeals from lower courts. For courts of general jurisdiction in civil law system, see ordinary court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District court</span> Category of courts

District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Maryland</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Maryland

The Supreme Court of Maryland is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief justice and six associate justices, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis. The term of the Court begins the second Monday of September. The Court is unique among American courts in that the justices wear red robes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit</span> Current United States federal appellate court

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has special appellate jurisdiction over certain categories of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court system. Specifically, it has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal cases involving patents, trademark registrations, government contracts, veterans' benefits, public safety officers' benefits, federal employees' benefits, and various other types of cases. The Federal Circuit has no jurisdiction over criminal, bankruptcy, immigration, or U.S. state law cases. It is headquartered at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building in Washington, DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Virginia</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that are initially appealed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Established in 1779 as the Supreme Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Virginia is one of the oldest continuously active judicial bodies in the United States.

The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts. Under the State Constitution, "'judicial power shall be vested in a Supreme Court, a Superior Court, County Courts and inferior courts of limited jurisdiction.'" The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts. The State Constitution renders the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division the intermediate appellate court, and "[a]ppeals may be taken to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court from the law and chancery divisions of the Superior Court and in such other causes as may be provided by law." Each division is in turn divided into various parts. "The trial divisions of the Superior Court are the principal trial courts of New Jersey. They are located within the State's various judicial geographic units, called 'vicinages,' R. 1:33-2(a), and are organized into two basic divisions: the Chancery Division and the Law Division".

The Circuit Court of Ireland is an intermediate level court of local and limited jurisdiction which hears both civil and criminal matters. On the criminal side the Circuit Court hears criminal matters tried on indictment with a judge and jury, except for certain serious crimes which are tried in either the Central Criminal Court or the Special Criminal Court. On the civil side the Circuit Court has a considerable parallel jurisdiction — including equitable remedies — with the High Court but normally cannot award damages of more than €75,000. The Circuit Court also hears de novo appeals from the District Court in both civil and criminal matters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Montana

The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisions of Montana's trial courts of general jurisdiction and certain specialized legislative courts, only having original jurisdiction in a limited number of actions. The court's Chief Justice and six Associate Justices are elected by non-partisan, popular elections. The Montana Supreme Court meets in the Joseph P. Mazurek Building in Helena, Montana, the state's capital, an international style building completed in 1982 and named in the honor of former Montana Attorney General, Joseph P. Mazurek.

The Judiciary of Colorado is established and authorized by Article VI of the Colorado Constitution as well as the law of Colorado. The various courts include the Colorado Supreme Court, Colorado Court of Appeals, Colorado district courts, Colorado county courts, Colorado water courts, and municipal courts. The administration of the state judicial system is the responsibility of the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court as its executive head and is assisted by several other commissions. In Denver, the county and municipal courts are integrated and administratively separate from the state court system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of New York</span> Judicial branch of the New York state government

The Judiciary of New York is the judicial branch of the Government of New York, comprising all the courts of the State of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Mississippi</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Mississippi

The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in 1818 per the terms of the first constitution of the state and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appeals from 1832 to 1869. The court is an appellate court. The court consists of nine justices elected in nonpartisan contests from three districts to serve eight-year terms. The most senior justice serves as the chief justice. It is housed in the Carroll Gartin Justice Building in Jackson, Mississippi, the state capital.

The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania is the unified state court system of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Court of Justice</span> One of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC for legal citation purposes.

The Superior Court is North Carolina's general jurisdiction trial court. It was established in 1777 and is North Carolina's oldest court.

United States v. More, 7 U.S. 159 (1805), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that it had no jurisdiction to hear appeals from criminal cases in the circuit courts by writs of error. Relying on the Exceptions Clause, More held that Congress's enumerated grants of appellate jurisdiction to the Court operated as an exercise of Congress's power to eliminate all other forms of appellate jurisdiction.

The Judiciary of Virginia is defined under the Constitution and law of Virginia and is composed of the Supreme Court of Virginia and subordinate courts, including the Court of Appeals, the Circuit Courts, and the General District Courts. Its administration is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Judicial Council, the Committee on District Courts, the Judicial Conferences, the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, and various other offices and officers.

The judiciary of Michigan is defined under the Michigan Constitution, law, and regulations as part of the Government of Michigan. The court system consists of the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Court of Appeals as the intermediate appellate court, the circuit courts and district courts as the two primary trial courts, and several administrative courts and specialized courts. The Supreme Court administers all the courts. The Michigan Supreme Court consists of seven members who are elected on non-partisan ballots for staggered eight-year terms, while state appellate court judges are elected to terms of six years and vacancies are filled by an appointment by the governor, and circuit court and district court judges are elected to terms of six years.

The Chancery Court of the State of Wyoming was created in 2019 as a specialized business court to provide a streamlined judicial forum for addressing commercial, business, and trust cases litigated in Wyoming's state courts, with a unique focus on digital assets and blockchain technology.

References

  1. "About the District Courts". Wyoming Judicial Branch. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. See Wyo Stat s. 5-9-128 (available at https://law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/2011/title5/chapter9/section5-9-128/) (stating the jurisdictional limit of the circuit courts).
  3. "About the Chancery Court – Wyoming Judicial Branch" . Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  4. "2022 Wyoming Statutes :: Title 5 - Courts :: Chapter 13 - Chancery Courts :: Article 1 - General Provisions :: Section 5-13-115 - Purpose and Jurisdiction". Justia Law. Retrieved 2024-06-07.