Municipal Court Judge Meredith Oakes Peterson.
Judge Meredith Oakes Peterson announced last week that she will not be requesting a contract renewal at the end of her contract on March 31, vacating her position as a Laramie Municipal Court Judge.
The municipal court has one judge position, and a one-year contract is the standard. Laramie City Council hires for the position.
This situation is not uncommon according to Paul Weaver, a city council member.
“We have a number of city employees who operate on a yearly timeline,” Weaver said. “Some don’t renew their contracts.”
City council members met in a special meeting on Monday to discuss finding a replacement.
They are putting the focus on finding the right candidate instead of getting someone to fill the position immediately. Andrea Summerville, the city council member from ward one, said that the process is complex, and may take a few months.
“The hope is that we can have a judge begin in early May, but we also added that this process could be extended out to May 5, 2015 if we need more time for recruitment of qualified candidates,” Summerville said.
The process will begin with advertisement of the position on Friday. After a first review of applications by human resources, the search committee will then recommend the top candidates for the city council to interview.
The tentative date for interviews is Apr. 14, 2015. City council will then select the best candidate and begin the hiring process.
Laramie Mayor Dave Paulekas thanked the judge for her time.
Paulekas said, “The only comment I have is to thank Judge Peterson for her service to our community and wish her the very best in her future endeavors.”
Peterson chose not to comment on her reasoning for leaving the position.
The municipal court judge presides primarily over misdemeanor offenses committed inside Laramie’s city limits. These offenses include traffic violations and failure to maintain insurance.
Peterson is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s law program and has served as defense counsel, county prosecutor and magistrate judge over her 25-year career. She is leaving the municipal court judge position after her second year.
Peterson’s predecessor Tony Lopez served in the position for over five years. He left the court the year following a censure from the Wyoming Supreme Court. The court ordered a censure after he expressed his opinion on towing charges during a Laramie City Council meeting, violating the Wyoming Code of Judicial Conduct.
