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SF0057 • 2022

Chancery court vacancy amendments.

AN ACT relating to courts; amending requirements for filling chancery court vacancies; amending persons qualified for temporary assignment of chancery court duties; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Appropriations
Last action
2022-03-08
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2022

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on the qualifications for temporary chancery court judges or what happens if no qualified individuals can be found to fill a vacancy.

Changes to Filling Chancery Court Vacancies

This law changes how temporary judges can be assigned when there are vacancies on the Wyoming chancery court.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows special masters and magistrates to temporarily fill chancery court judge positions.
  • Extends the deadline for appointing retired district court judges or active district court judges as temporary chancery court judges from March 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Wyoming Supreme Court
  • Chancery court judges and those who may be appointed as temporary replacements

Terms To Know

Special master
A person with legal expertise assigned by a judge to help manage certain aspects of a case.
Magistrate
An official who has the authority to hear and decide minor cases, especially in local courts.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify how qualifications for temporary chancery court judges are determined.
  • It is unclear what happens if no qualified individuals can be found to fill a vacancy.

Bill History

  1. 2022-03-08 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 12

  2. 2022-03-08 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0009

  3. 2022-03-04 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0009

  4. 2022-03-04 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0009

  5. 2022-03-04 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0009

  6. 2022-03-04 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 55-0-5-0-0

  7. 2022-03-03 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2022-03-02 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2022-02-25 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2022-02-25 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0

  11. 2022-02-23 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations

  12. 2022-02-17 House

    H Received for Introduction

  13. 2022-02-17 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 30-0-0-0-0

  14. 2022-02-16 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  15. 2022-02-15 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  16. 2022-02-15 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  17. 2022-02-15 Senate

    S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 3-0-2-0-0

  18. 2022-02-14 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations 30-0-0-0-0

  19. 2022-02-08 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  20. 2022-02-07 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 22LSO-0100
Bill No.:

SF0057

Effective:

7/1/2022 12:00:00 AM

LSO No.:

22LSO-0100

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0009

Chapter No.:

12

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Appropriations Committee

Catch Title:

Chancery court vacancy amendments.

Subject:

Filing Chancery court vacancies.

Summary/Major Elements:

In 2019, the Legislature passed Senate File 104 (2021 Wyo. Sess. Laws,
ch.
200) creating the Wyoming chancery court.

Under existing law, the Wyoming Supreme Court may fill vacancies on the Wyoming chancery court by appointing retired supreme court justices, retired district court judges or members of a panel of up to five (5) active district court judges to sit as chancery court judges until the positions are appointed by the Governor after the judicial nominating commission nominates three (3) candidates.

This act authorizes the Wyoming Supreme Court to assign special master and magistrates to fill vacancies of chancery court judges.

The act also extends the deadline permitting the Wyoming Supreme Court to appoint the specified individuals to temporarily sit as chancery court judges from March 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
22LSO-0100

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0057

ENROLLED ACT NO. 9,

SENATE

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2022 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to courts; amending requirements for filling chancery court vacancies; amending persons qualified for temporary assignment of chancery court duties; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 5
‑
13
‑
109(a)(ii), by creating new paragraphs (iv) and (v) and (b) is amended to read:

5
‑
13
‑
109.

Temporary assignment to fill vacancies; appointments to fill vacancies in office.

(a)

Prior to the appointment of a chancery court judge under subsection (b) of this section or in the event a chancery court judge appointed under W.S. 5
‑
13
‑
107 dies, becomes unable or unwilling to perform the duties of his office, the supreme court may temporarily assign the duties of chancery court judge to be performed by a person who meets the qualifications set forth in W.S. 5
‑
13
‑
108. Any assignment shall be made to:

(ii)

A retired district court judge;
or

(iv)

A special master; or

(v)

A magistrate.

(b)

Beginning
March 1, 2023
January 1, 2024
, the office of judge of the chancery court and any vacancies therein shall be filled as provided by W.S. 5
‑
13
‑
107.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2022
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1