Gov. Mark Gordon selected Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill to fill a seat on the state Supreme Court, his office announced Friday.
Hill has served as attorney general since 2019, when she was appointed by Gordon at the start of his first gubernatorial term. Before then, she worked as director of the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, staff attorney for then Wyoming Supreme Court justices Michael Golden and Larry Lehman as well as holding other positions in the attorney general’s office.
“I am honored by the governor’s decision to select me for this position, as I have tremendous respect and reverence for the work of the Wyoming Supreme Court,” Hill said in a statement.
Hill will replace Chief Justice Kate M. Fox, who is retiring on May 27. The Wyoming Constitution requires the state’s Supreme Court justices and district court judges to step down upon reaching the age of 70.
“With her retirement, Chief Justice Fox leaves a singular legacy. Her tenure has set high standards for the Supreme Court, making this selection from three well-qualified candidates particularly challenging,” Gordon said in a statement.
In March, the Judicial Nominating Commission announced that it had selected its nominees for the governor to consider — Hill, District Court Judge Stuart S. Healy III and former Wyoming Bar Association President Anna Reeves Olson.
“After careful consideration, I chose General Hill because she possesses a deep and original understanding of both Wyoming and Constitutional law. She has dedicated her legal career to public service and has proven her ability to examine issues from all perspectives. She reflects a level of integrity that is as valuable as it is admirable,” Gordon said in a statement.
Wyoming’s district, circuit and supreme court judges are appointed through a merit selection process, as is required by the state’s constitution. That process begins with the Judicial Nominating Commission selecting three applicants to submit to the governor who makes the ultimate decision.
Hill will take to the bench in the state’s highest court on May 28. Justice Lynne Boomgarten will take over as Chief Justice.
The governor’s announcement comes five days before the Wyoming Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in Wyoming’s ongoing abortion battle. As attorney general, Hill has been tasked with defending two abortion bans that a lower court struck down in November — a decision the state is appealing to the higher court.
Why aren’t voters used?
Gordon used the word “integrity.” In dark times, that was good for a Monday laugh. I fully expect the WY freedom caucus to openly oppose this appointment as just another woke DEI hire. Any day now. Very little information on Bridget beyond her place of birth, school of choice and partisanship. If she has the Heritage Foundation stamp of approval, we can expect the pro-birth/starve a child mental gymnastics, along with “rules for thee but not for me” flavor of activism now spewing from SCOTUS.