TWO WYOMING JUDGES RECEIVE JUDICIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Judicial Council is pleased to announce that District Court judges Steven K. Sharpe (Ret.) and Richard L. Lavery are this year’s recipients of the Larry L. Lehman Awards for Judicial Excellence. The awards were presented at this year’s Annual Meeting & Judicial Conference in Laramie, Wyoming, by Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden. Sharpe retired from the First Judicial District Court bench this past May. Lavery currently serves as a District Court judge in the Third Judicial District (Green River).

The awards are in recognition for the judges’ leadership and service to the Judicial Branch and Bar in helping to successfully stand up the Wyoming Chancery Court.  When the Chancery Court launched without a docket or a full-time judge, it needed judges known for their capable and swift handling of complex business and trust cases. Judges Sharpe and Lavery stepped up to meet that need, managing all Chancery Court cases from the court’s launch in December 2021 until the court’s first full-time judge took the bench in January 2025. They did so while maintaining their full district court caseloads.

The two judges resolved cases in an average of 148 days, promoted the new court through educational programs and media outreach, and helped mentor and prepare the court’s first full-time judge, Hon. Benjamin Burningham, who continues to build on their legacy. The judges’ early dedication laid the foundation for the court’s growth, from the court receiving 15 new cases in 2022 to receiving 47 in 2024.

The Lehman Award is given in memory of Justice Lehman, who died in 2004, and who is remembered for his tireless efforts to improve the operation of the court system and to provide greater access to justice for all Wyoming citizens.

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