After Abortion Ruling, Lawmaker Tries to Strip Court Security Funding

A Wyoming lawmaker’s attempt to delete $3.6 million in court security funding from the state budget failed Saturday, after colleagues rejected what some called a punitive response to the Wyoming Supreme Court’s recent abortion decision.

Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, proposed the amendment just weeks after the high court struck down two statewide abortion bans, ruling them unconstitutional. The decision drew sharp criticism from hard-line Republicans, including Rodriguez-Williams, who chairs the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

Citing a judicial branch letter requesting the security funding, Rodriguez-Williams asked her colleagues: “If this branch of government has a vested interest in protecting your life, why does it suddenly lose that interest when the life in question comes to the unborn?”

Rep. Ken Chestek, D-Laramie, raised a point of order. “This is an attempt to use an unpopular decision as an excuse to punish the court,” he said. “I think that is inappropriate.”

The House struck down the amendment 48-12. Notably, no one spoke in favor, and even a Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan, voted against it, citing real security needs at his county courthouse with “many entrances and exits that are not easily protected.”

Several lawmakers acknowledged disappointment with the court’s ruling but urged separation of the issues. Rep. Martha Lawley, R-Worland, said, “Was I disappointed in the court’s ruling? Absolutely. We have a process, though, that we go through to respond to that. I’m pro-life in every area of my life. I really am. So I can’t quite compute this as a reasonable and rational response.”

Rep. Art Washut, R-Casper, noted the practical stakes: courthouse security protects not just judges but “litigants and other people who utilize our courthouses.”

Rodriguez-Williams stood by her amendment: “If life is sacred enough to guard with security details and improve security equipment, is it sacred enough to guard in the womb? I urge an aye.”

The failed amendment comes amid broader legislative tension with the judiciary. Following the abortion ruling, lawmakers held a closed-door meeting to discuss reducing the Supreme Court from five to three justices. The Freedom Caucus has also made “judicial transparency” a 2026 priority, describing the branch as “unchecked and out of control.”