CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission is taking the first step to fill a new District Court judgeship in Sublette County by inviting qualified people to file their "expressions of interest."

Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Barton Voigt said the economic boom in Sublette County, combined with caseload pressures in Teton County and Fremont County, required creation of this new position in the 9th Judicial District.

The Legislature last winter approved the new judgeship. Lawmakers also authorized salary increases for all district judges from $113,600 to $120,400 as of July 1.

"With the Jonah Field and all of the new transplants we have, our caseload has gone up quite a little," said Marilyn Jensen, clerk of the District Court for Sublette County.

She said the court in Sublette County now must share the district judges for Teton and Fremont counties: Nancy Guthrie of Jackson and Norman Young of Riverton.

Those courts also have increasing caseloads, particularly Fremont County.

"So when we have to share judges, they just don't have time," Jensen said. "Ours is up. Theirs is up."

The Sublette County caseload totaled 299 cases in fiscal year 2008.

A workload assessment by the Supreme Court for fiscal year 2008 concluded that the 9th Judicial District needs 2.69 full-time equivalent judges. With only two judges handling the caseload for all three counties - Fremont, Teton and Sublette - the district has a 35 percent deficit in judges, the report said.

District Judge Nancy Guthrie of Jackson said Tuesday the additional judge will help her and all of the attorneys in the 9th Judicial District.

Guthrie said she takes a certain number of cases filed in Fremont County in addition to the Teton County cases and half of the Sublette County cases.

"I'm traveling at least a quarter of my time, plus time in court in either Lander or Pinedale," Guthrie said.

Young, who lives in Riverton but hears cases at the Fremont County Courthouse in Lander, said Monday that it has reached the point where he spends about one week a month in Pinedale.

Guthrie, he said, travels more than he does, as she drives to both Pinedale and Lander to hear cases.

Young said he handles Teton County cases only on an as-needed basis - in cases of conflicts, for example.

"There's no end in sight," Young said of the growing caseload in booming Sublette County.

Of the 299 District Court cases filed in Sublette County last year, 58 were criminal complaints, 44 concerned domestic relations, and 48 were divorce actions.

In a news release, Voigt cited a Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission rule that said the commission members should not limit consideration to people suggested by others or to people who said they would be willing to serve.

The best-qualified nominees, the rule said, may be those most difficult to persuade to serve.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal will appoint the new judge from a list of three names submitted to him by the commission.

Commission members, in addition to Voigt, are three lawyers elected by the Wyoming State Bar: Todd Hambrick of Casper, Rhonda Woodard of Cheyenne, and Michael Messenger of Thermopolis; and three non-lawyers appointed by the governor: Ronn Jeffrey of Cheyenne, Dave Gray of Rock Springs, and Kurt Dobbs of Yoder.

Contact Joan Barron at joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.