JACKSON, Wyo. — Governor Mark Gordon recently appointed Melissa Owens to be a district court judge for the ninth judicial district serving Teton County.
Owens’s appointment fills the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Timothy C. Day. Her appointment is effective Jan. 19, 2022.
“Teton County is blessed to have had three phenomenal candidates, any one of which would have been a wonderful addition to the bench,” Governor Gordon said. “However, Melissa’s breadth of experience made her uniquely suited for the job.”
“I am honored by the Governor’s appointment among such a fine group of candidates. I look forward to serving the citizens of Teton County with the same sense of ethics, temperament and wisdom that Judge Timothy Day has demonstrated in this position,” Owens said.
Her last day as municipal judge for the Town of Jackson will be Jan. 17, 2022. The Town of Jackson is currently seeking applications to fill her position until Dec. 31, 2021. In the interim, two active alternate Municipal Judges, Chris Leigh and Rick Manning are available to handle the workload until an appointment is made.
Owens has operated Owens Law Office, P.C. since 2013 and has served as a part-time municipal court judge in the Town of Jackson since 2014. She previously worked in private practice in Teton County and spent five years as a deputy county and prosecuting attorney with the Teton County Attorney’s Office. In addition, she served as a deputy public defender in Dallas, Texas while her husband attended graduate school. Owens received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College and her J.D. from the University of Wyoming.
