CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Gov. Mark Gordon has appointed Jeremy Kent Kisling to serve as a circuit court judge in Wyoming’s Fourth Judicial District, filling a vacancy on the bench serving Johnson and Sheridan counties.
Gordon announced the appointment Aug. 6 following Wyoming’s judicial selection process. Kisling was among the nominees submitted to the governor by the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission.
The Fourth Judicial District encompasses Johnson and Sheridan counties in north-central Wyoming.
Kisling’s appointment continues a series of judicial selections by Gordon as vacancies have opened across Wyoming’s court system. In June, Gordon appointed Thayne LeRoy Peterson to the Third Judicial District Circuit Court, while the Judicial Nominating Commission has continued reviewing candidates for other vacancies.
Wyoming uses a merit-based system to select state judges. When a judicial vacancy occurs, the Judicial Nominating Commission reviews applicants and submits nominees to the governor, who makes the final appointment. Judges subsequently face voters in retention elections rather than running against opposing candidates.
Circuit courts serve as an important entry point into Wyoming’s judicial system, handling matters including misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary felony proceedings, civil disputes within their jurisdiction and other cases established under state law.
Kisling will serve communities throughout Johnson and Sheridan counties as a judge on the Fourth Judicial District Circuit Court.