Opinion ID: 2499424
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Matter of Great Public Importance

Text: [¶ 25] Whether a case presents a question of great importance is a determination to be made by this Court. RM, ¶ 8, 102 P.3d at 871; Jolley v. State Loan and Inv. Bd., 2002 WY 7, ¶ 10, 38 P.3d 1073, 1078 (Wyo.2002); Brimmer v. Thomson, 521 P.2d 574, 578 (Wyo.1974). We have stated: This exception must be applied with caution and its exercise must be a matter where strict standards are applied to avoid the temptation to apply the judge's own beliefs and philosophies to a determination of what questions are of great public importance. Jolley, ¶ 10, 38 P.3d at 1078 (quoting Brimmer, 521 P.2d at 578). [¶ 26] That the case before us is one that presents an issue of great public importance and interest is a determination readily made without reference to personal beliefs or philosophies. As a starting point, the case concerns a fundamental constitutional right, the First Amendment right to free speech. See RM, ¶ 8, 102 P.3d at 871 (addressing fundamental right to education as issue of great public importance in an otherwise moot student expulsion case); Brimmer, 521 P.2d at 578 (addressing fundamental right to vote as issue of great public importance). Moreover, the constitutional issue is presented in the context of a topic that is of public interest and importance on both a national level and local level, that is, the topic of abortion rights. [¶ 27] Among the issues in the United States today that are divisive and inflammatory, none is so hotly debated as that of abortion. On the national stage, the issue is front and center in the halls of Congress, on the political campaign trail, and in many state legislatures. See Leigh Ann Caldwell, Democrats Attack Romney for Saying He Wanted to Get Rid of Planned Parenthood, CBS News Political Hotsheet (March 14, 2012); Lucy Madson, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Signs Virginia Ultrasound Bill, CBS News Political Hotsheet (March 7, 2012) (Virginia bill requiring women to undergo transvaginal ultrasound prior to having abortion sparked national debate this month); Stephanie Condon, Abortion Funding Showdown Escalates, CBS News Political Hotsheet (Feb. 8, 2011). On the Wyoming stage, the issue continues to attract attention in the state legislature and in the state capitol building. See Joan Barron, WyWatch Sues Wyoming Over Anti-Abortion Display, http://trib.com (Jan. 5, 2012); Abortion Bill Fails in Wyoming Senate, http://trib.com (Feb. 26, 2011); Ben Neary, Wyoming House Rejects Abortion Bill, http://trib.com (Jan. 26, 2011). Indeed, contending that the abortion issue is not one of great public interest and importance is as unsupportable as contending that the Earth is flat or the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. [¶ 28] The issue of abortion has polarized mainstream political parties and energized all manner of public interest groups who align with pro-life advocates on the one side and pro-choice advocates on the other. Each side seeks to influence public opinion and to attain legal support for its positionin legislative halls and in the courts. The debate is ubiquitous and abundant. The topic of abortion incites like no other issue in this country today. It divides the nation, our religions, our families, our politics, and our society. The issue arouses deep passions that find full expression in open and public debate that gives all participants the satisfaction of a fair and full hearing. [¶ 29] Without resort to personal beliefs or philosophies, the case presently before this Court presents issues of great public interest and importance. They are issues that deserve a ruling from this Court.