Posted on: March 11, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact Chief Justice E. James Burke
March 11, 2015 307-777-7557
JUDICIAL RETIREMENT RECOGNITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice E. James Burke announced today that the Honorable Marilyn S. Kite will be retiring from the Court, effective August 3, 2015. Justice Kite has served the citizens of this state as a Wyoming Supreme Court Justice with distinction for over 14 years. Justice Kite was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2000 by Governor Jim Geringer and was retained by election in 2002 and 2010. Justice Kite was Wyoming’s first female Supreme Court Justice. She served as Chief Justice from 2010 to 2014.
Justice Kite was born and raised in Laramie, Wyoming and lives in Jackson, Wyoming. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs from the University of Wyoming in 1970 with honors and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1974. Prior to her appointment to the Wyoming Supreme Court, Justice Kite served as Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Wyoming from 1974 through 1978. She entered private practice in 1979, joining the law firm of Holland and Hart; she was a partner in the Jackson and Cheyenne offices until her appointment to the Wyoming Supreme Court. While in private practice, Justice Kite developed extensive experience in commercial law, natural resource law, and other complex litigation.
Prior to joining the Court, Justice Kite served on the faculty of the Western Trial Advocacy Institute, University of Wyoming, and the Denver Regional National Institute of Trial Advocacy. She has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Advisory Board. While on the bench, she served on numerous boards, including the Board of Judicial Policy and Administration, the University of Wyoming College of Law Advisory Board, and the Access to Justice Commission. As Chief Justice, she successfully advocated for improvements to court security, expansion of civics education, and promotion of women interested in the law.
“This is a bittersweet moment for me. Serving on the Court has been a privilege and an honor. I will greatly miss my colleagues, the men and women of Wyoming’s judiciary, and the dedicated Supreme Court staff and wish them all well as they continue to serve the citizens of this state. I look forward to continuing to work with the Court and the Wyoming Bar Foundation on the development of the new Judicial Learning Center that will be a wonderful tool for greater understanding of our judicial system,” said Justice Kite.
“We will miss her,” said Chief Justice Burke. “Justice Kite is a wonderful person and colleague. She has contributed immeasurably to the citizens of this state and our system of justice. We join the entire judiciary in wishing Justice Kite, her husband Skip Jacobson, and their son Gus, well in retirement.”
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