Note: The following came in from a Wyoming Democrat. While we attempt to share work that reflects the WDP platform, you may come across some words that are not exactly what WDP would have written. Perhaps you will agree with and value what you read below, perhaps not. Your mileage may vary. -ed.
The following was apparently published in the Uinta County Herald in November 2025. At the time of publishing it here, I was unable to find an online version. -ed.
RULE OF LAW
Dear Editor:
Soon the residents of Wyoming will learn whether the Justices of the Wyoming Supreme Court think that legislation restricting reproductive rights violates the Wyoming Constitution. Regardless of the outcome of this litigation, there will be direct and indirect attacks on the judiciary because of the opinion reached. We have already heard rumbles by some that the process of selecting judges in Wyoming needs to be changed – likely because of decisions made by a trial judge related to this issue.
On the national level we hear calls for a “war” on the judiciary by the Deputy Attorney General, and for the impeachment of judges by the President, because of decisions by federal judges regarding various actions taken by the current administration. As a result of such rhetoric, we have seen threats and acts of physical violence against judges and their families.
Attacks on the judges due to perceived “judicial activism” date back to our country’s founding. The phrase gained widespread political use during the 1950’s and 1960’s because of landmark decisions dealing with civil rights and criminal procedures. In later years, decisions on reproductive and gay rights became the focus of such attacks. Pick your issue – whether the critic is conservative or liberal – it has unfortunately become a permanent feature of our political discourse.
In these dangerous times, we would do well to remember the words of Judge Learned Hand in his 1944 “Spirit of Liberty” speech:
“The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interest alongside its own without bias; the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded; the spirit of liberty is the spirit of him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned, but has never quite forgotten – that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side-by-side with the greatest.”
In the spirit of liberty, let us respect the opinions of others, including those of judges who consider the law and facts of the case before them without bias or external influence. Our failure to do so not only damages the independence of the judiciary but also the protection of the rights of those involved in legal proceedings. The very foundations of the Rule of Law depend on us having a civil discourse over our differences. The extreme attacks on our judiciary must stop and be replaced with voices of reason and tolerance for our differences of opinion.
-Tim Beppler