Animal attacks are an ever-present danger for the cowboy-hatted judge overseeing a tiny outpost of federal justice in America's oldest national park.
Published 11:48 AM EDT Oct 20, 2019
the legacy of the U.S. Army's presence in this remote corner of a state that averages just six residents per square mile. Created as the world's first national park in 1872, Yellowstone predates the National Park Service itself, and for 30 years was overseen and protected by the U.S. Army, which created the park's headquarters campus at Mammoth Hot Springs. Today, Mammoth still feels like an Army post, with neat rows of stone buildings along Barracks Street and Officers Row. Back then, soldiers patrolled the park to protect its geysers, fossilized wood, timber and abundant wildlife from poachers.
Yellowstone attracts visitors from around the world, from China and Germany, to Korea and Mexico. Many pass through on tour buses cruising between the most popular areas, from the Old Faithful geyser to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone waterfalls.
The few defense attorneys who routinely appear in Carman's courtroom say they're thankful he permits so many phone calls, but acknowledged there's no substitute for an in-person hearing. Defense attorney Chris Leigh, 61, who has been practicing in Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Park for more than 30 years, said the generally slower pace in Carman's courtroom gives the judge time to truly understand each case before him.
"Study hard, get a good job and have a good life -- that's all I'm asking," Carman told one of the defendants.
His small plane, bought when he was an attorney in private practice handling civil cases, helps bridge some of the distance, but even that's parked 100 miles away in Bozeman.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Judge halts funeral plans for woman shot at home by officerA probate court judge has halted a funeral scheduled for Saturday.
Read more »
Worker injured in Hard Rock Hotel construction collapse held for deportationA Honduran worker injured in the collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans is being held for deportation, immigration authorities say.
Read more »
Judge Blocks Florida Law Setting Conditions on Restoring Felons’ Voting RightsA federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked a law that set conditions on a voter-approved constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million people with felony convictions.
Read more »
Supreme Court will consider Donald Trump's crackdown on asylum-seekers
Read more »