Vol. 34, No. 1, 6. From the Top.

• Author: by Brian E. Hultman

Wyoming Bar Journal

2011.

Vol. 34, No. 1, 6.

From the Top

Wyoming Bar JournalIssue: February, 2011From the Topby Brian E. HultmanPresident, Wyoming State BarAs Chief Justice Kite called the special session of ,the Wyoming Supreme Court to order and began her introductory comments, I turned and looked out at the capacity crowd that had gathered in the auditorium for the robing ceremony of our recently appointed Circuit Court Judge, James L. Radda. It was the second time in as many months that we had experienced a massive community turnout for a judicial robing ceremony. The Ninth Judicial District had celebrated Judge Timothy C. Day's ascension to the District Court bench with similar style earlier in the summer of 2010.

Once again. Governor Freu-denthal, all five of the Supreme Court Justices as well as several District and Circuit Court Judges had traveled from across the state to make the trip to Jackson to attend what has become a statewide tradition of celebrating the robing of our judges. Both events were an impressive gathering of state and local dignitaries and signified our community's trust in our judiciary and our system of justice.

I could not help but smile with pride as I appreciated the vigor with which Wyoming celebrates the culmination of our ap- pointment process. How many other states in the country have their entire Supreme Court and Governor do their best to witness every newly appointed judge being formally administered the oath of office?

That same level of pride exists when I reflect upon Wyoming's judicial selection process. As the political election season winds down, isn't it nice to know that our state's judges from Circuit to Supreme Court are appointed by the Governor following a non-partisan selection process as opposed to being forced into engaging in competitive elections every few years? The appointment and retention process we utilize is simply the most effective way to insure judicial independence, and as a result, maintain the highest level of public confidence in our justice system.

National trends indicate other states may not be as fortunate. Hotly contested partisan judicial elections are at risk for undermining the publics confidence in state courts across the country. Over the last decade, a large number of states have seen massive increases in campaign spending in judicial...