Stepping down from the bench

WORLAND – After 40 years of practicing law and serving as a county, circuit and district judge, Judge Robert Skar is retiring this week, to spend time on his hobbies and travel the United States.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming and having grown up in Cody after moving from Detroit as a teenager, Skar started practicing law in Casper, before being appointed Big Horn County Judge in 1999.

In 2000, the Legislature converted the county courts to a circuit court system and Skar, who resides in Thermopolis, served as a circuit court judge until 2008, before becoming a district judge.

"I've sat in all three seats and I'm not going to the [State] Supreme Court," mused Judge Skar. "I was the first and last county judge in Big Horn County. I'm done."

Reflecting on changes during his time on the bench, Judge Skar focuses on the way the courts in Wyoming are run, and less on specific cases or lessons learned.

Explaining how the district court is administered by the board of Judicial Policy, rather than the State Supreme Court, Judge Skar sees a certain amount of flexibility in the way the court operates, as opposed to when he first started practicing law.

"Decisions are reviewed by the Supreme Court, but the district court is not governed by the Supreme Court," Judge Skar explained, "so we have more control over our budget and governance, which gives us a more informed decision-making process, based on the problems in the community."

"The process is changing, like anything else," said Skar, pointing out that the amount of paperwork and research has changed with the introduction of computerized systems and the internet, along with electronic additions such as video conferencing.

"We've always had phone meetings, but now, thru Skype, we can have witness testimony right in the courtroom," said Judge Skar.

Judge Skar also pointed out that making judgements is heavily regulated, from both a state and federal level.

"Juvenile cases, for instance, are on a timeline that has to be met to get federal aid," said Judge Skar. "That impacts your [court] docket and your wording must be very tight and adhere to statutory language or the court can get docked for that."

In a state where isolated communities may not have access to counseling services for repeat offenders, Judge Skar is proud that counties (such as Washakie) are adopting the Drug Court system, to deal with non-violent drug offenders rather than incarceration.

In the Drug Court system, drug offenders or those who violate terms of their parole due to a drug infraction, are recommended by the county attorney to attend the program rather than be sent to jail for a drug-related charge.

"It helps when drugs are a single issue for a person because they can be put into this system and treated for that alone," said Judge Skar, who recognizes that 80 percent of the court's criminal docket is drug- or alcohol-related in some form.

"With burglary, domestic violence, all of it, if you look you will see some connection to substance abuse, and if that person started as a teenager, 13 or 14, then a pattern emerges," said Judge Skar. "You can almost break down different crimes by drug type."

While in court, Judge Skar often uses the loss of his own daughter to addiction as an anecdote to help those he sentences to realize that they are not alone, and there can be a life after substance abuse.

"I want them to identify that they are their own worst critics," said Judge Skar. "Treatment is always the first remedy we try to use, but once it fails, it just multiplies for many people."

But Judge Skar sees plenty of good coming from the courts.

"Adoptions are some of the most fun I have," says Judge Skar. "To put a family together is always a fun thing to do."

Judge Skar hopes to return to his woodworking and stained glass hobbies during his retirement, but not before a bit of travel.

"My wife and I bought an RV, so we're going to travel around and see America first."