Wyoming Supreme Court

Justices have until mid-August to decide on the future of reproductive rights in the state.

The Wyoming Supreme Court will have a vacancy after Chief Justice Kate Fox retires later this year. The Judicial Nominating Commission has given three nominees to Gov. Gordon to consider. He will make a decision in April

The April hearing on the future of abortion access in the state has been years in the making.

A nonprofit and a group of physicians were also denied in their attempt to submit “friend of the court” briefs.

In a new legal brief, the state continues to argue that abortion doesn’t count as healthcare, and a district judge made a mistake in granting access last year.

The Wyoming Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Citizens for the Responsible Use of State Lands cannot join the county’s suit against the state over permits issued for state land near Teton Village.

This comes after a Teton County district judge struck down the state’s two near-total abortion laws.

Chief Justice Kate Fox worries about the rise of threats against judges, court employees and their families. A new bill making its way through Congress may help. But Fox said that when the stakes are this high, waiting isn't an option.

Threats against judges and other court employees have spiked from 28 incidents to 118 in the past four years, according to data provided by the Wyoming Supreme Court. The numbers could be higher, a spokesman for the Wyoming Supreme Court said, but many incidents aren't recorded.

The court acknowledged that it will likely be required, at some point, to assess the constitutionality of the state’s abortion bans, but said the district court should make a ruling first.