District Court
District Court in the Sublette County Courthouse went through major renovation improvements in 2015.
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Kudos to County on Courts
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
February 18, 2016
Those watching the opening proceedings of the Joint Session of the Wyoming State Legislature for this 2016 budget session listened intently as Governor Matt Mead gave his State of the State address, setting out his priorities for the session.
Mead’s address was followed by Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice E. James Burke’s State of the Judiciary address, and Sublette County listeners were pleased to hear good work in Sublette County recognized.
Justice Burke noted extensive technology improvements that were made to the court facilities in Pinedale, quoted extensively from Pinedale Online! Editor Dawn Ballou’s article detailing the advances, and saluted the leadership of the Sublette County Commissioners in providing this advancement to the county.
Here’s an excerpt from Justice Burke’s address (the full testimony is linked below):
"We should note that the technology upgrades in the Sublette County courthouse were funded by the county. We salute the county leadership that made those improvements possible and I’d like to expand a little on their efforts. In late August of last year, an open house was held to showcase the improvements. The event was summarized by Dawn Ballou in an article for Pinedale Online. The article was forwarded to me by Judge Tyler with justifiable pride in his courthouse and his community. The article captures the essence of what was done and what we are trying to accomplish in courtrooms throughout this state:
‘On Thursday, August 27th, the District Court Courtroom in the Sublette County Courthouse in Pinedale held an open house to showcase technology upgrades that were made recently to the courtroom. The court installed additional monitors in the jury box and at the defendant and prosecuting attorney’s tables to allow everyone to see the visuals being presented. The sound system has been upgraded with a variety of hearing-assist devices. The video system has been made more versatile inside the courtroom and also connects to the state video conferencing system which allows real-time visual connection to courtrooms and live proceedings in other courtrooms in counties across the state. The courtroom upgrades will be used for numerous court proceedings including jury trials and help ensure greater confidence in proceedings and verdicts of the court.’
"The article mentions only the district court but similar improvements were made in the circuit courtroom."
"Both Judge Tyler and Judge Haws have put the technology to good use helping out in other courts. They are not alone. Where the technology is in place, our judges use it. Courtroom presentations are more effective and efficient. Our judges can assist in other jurisdictions on a more frequent and economical basis. Travel time can often be eliminated by video hearings and conferences. The educational possibilities are endless. Judge Haws used the video feed from a jury trial in district court to provide a valuable learning experience for Pinedale students watching the trial in the circuit courtroom."
Burke advised the Wyoming Legislature to allocate funding to continue technology improvements in Wyoming’s court system – in essence, to allow other courts to catch up with the technology advances already provided in Sublette County. "We should have similar technology in all courtrooms throughout this state," he said.
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