Albany County District Court Judge Jeffrey Donnell retired Monday, after serving on the bench for 20 years.

During his time in Laramie Donnell presided over many noteworthy cases, such as the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard and the drunken-driving crash that killed eight University of Wyoming athletes in 2001.

UW Law Professor Tori Kricken was appointed by Gov. Matt Mead to succeed Donnell.

Kricken was one of three names chosen from a pool of applicants and submitted to Gov. Mead by the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Prior to being appointed, Kricken served as a District Court Commissioner and Circuit Court Magistrate for the district and circuit courts in Laramie and Rawlins and as a Drug Court Judge part-time.

Kricken served as the staff attorney for the Second Judicial District. She also taught business and law courses at the University of Wyoming.

Kricken received her J.D. from the University of Wyoming in 2000.

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