Q. What is the highlight of your career?
A. The highlight of my career has been my appointment to the Supreme Court.  There are five justices of the Supreme Court.  The term of office is eight years.  When a vacancy occurs, the Judicial Nominating Commission submits a list of three qualified nominees to the governor, and the governor makes the appointment from that list.  After serving on the court for one year, the new justice stands for retention in office on a statewide ballot at the next general election.  If a majority of the electorate votes for retention, the justice serves an eight-year term and may seek succeeding terms by means of a nonpartisan retention ballot.  A justice must be a lawyer with at least nine years of experience in the law, be at least 30 years old, and must also be a United States citizen who has resided in Wyoming for at least three years.  Justices must retire when they reach 70 years of age.  In order to be selected, a person must have been successful in their career, earned the respect of judges, lawyers, and community members, and be knowledgeable in the law.  It is an honor and responsibility to serve.

Q. What are challenges you encounter in your career?
A. The Supreme Court of Wyoming, located in Cheyenne, is the final arbiter of cases that arise under state law. Its decisions are final except for cases that involve a question of federal law, which can be appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court hears appeals from decisions of the district courts, and it also hears petitions for extraordinary relief from lower court decisions. Litigants who are dissatisfied with a decision of a district court may appeal that decision to the Supreme Court. In deciding these appeals, the Supreme Court sets forth the definitive statements on Wyoming law which are binding upon all other courts and state agencies unless changed by legislative action.

The decisions of the Supreme Court fall into several different categories. Often the decisions follow the dictates of previous cases or existing statutes. Sometimes there is no exact statute or previous decision of the Supreme Court on a particular issue, and then the court must interpret the statutes which most closely apply, or extend previous decisions to cover the issues under question. Occasionally, when circumstances change or the existing case law appears to no longer serve the interest of justice, the Supreme Court may reject a decision in a previous case and apply a new rule of law. Finally, the Supreme Court may decide that a particular statute or ordinance does not meet the requirements of the United States Constitution or the Wyoming Constitution, and declare it unconstitutional.

In addition to its responsibilities for deciding cases, the Supreme Court also exercises administrative supervision over the Wyoming State Bar. It regulates the practice of law in the state and admits new attorneys to that practice.

Q. How did you get to this career?
A. I grew up in a small Wyoming town—Lusk. My dad practiced law and served as the county attorney for Niobrara County. Many people from Lusk turned to my dad for help. He worked for the good of the community and the good of his clients. I admired him and wanted to be just like him when I grew up. He went on to be a district court judge and a supreme court justice. I decided to go to law school based on his example. I practiced law in Douglas for many years. My practice required me to appear before judges in all twenty-three Wyoming counties and gave me the opportunity to work with attorneys across the state. I gained great experience, represented a diverse set of clients, and came to know the members of the Bar. I always aspired to be on the Supreme Court and when an opening came available, I applied. My appointment to the Wyoming Supreme Court marked the first time more than one member of a family has served on the Court.

Q. Are there scholarship or internship opportunities available with your career? If so, where can more information about those be found?
A. The University of Wyoming lists helpful information for legal opportunities:
http://www.uwyo.edu/law/admissions/opportunities.html