Idaho Supreme Court

Idaho Supreme Court
Court Information
Justices: 5
Founded: 1890
Location: Boise
Salary
Associates: $169,508
Judicial Selection
Method: Nonpartisan election
Term: 6 years
Active justices
G. Richard Bevan, Robyn Brody, Cynthia Meyer, Gregory W. Moeller, Colleen Zahn

Founded in 1890, the Idaho Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is G. Richard Bevan.

As of January 2023, four judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor and one judge was initially selected in an election.

The court meets in the Supreme Court Building in Boise, Idaho.

In Idaho, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

Jurisdiction

The 1890 Idaho Constitution gives the Idaho Supreme Court the authority to hear appeals of the final rulings of the district courts, as well as from orders from the Public Utilities Commission, Industrial Accident Commission and the Idaho Industrial Commission. The court has original jurisdiction to hear cases against the state and to issue writs of review, mandamus, prohibition, and habeas corpus, and all writs necessary for complete exercise of its appellate jurisdiction. Parties may make a further appeal to the supreme court from the Idaho Court of Appeals, or the court may choose to review a decision of the court of appeals.

The supreme court is responsible for the administration and supervision of lower courts, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the state law library. The supreme court also supervises and regulates the state bar.

The following text from Article V, Section 9 of the Idaho Constitution covers the organization and jurisdiction of the court:

“	Original and Appellate Jurisdiction of Supreme Court The Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction to review, upon appeal, any decision of the district courts, or the judges thereof, any order of the public utilities commission, any order of the industrial accident board, and any plan proposed by the commission for reapportionment created pursuant to section 2, article III; the legislature may provide conditions of appeal, scope of appeal, and procedure on appeal from orders of the public utilities commission, of the industrial accident board. On appeal from orders of the industrial accident board the court shall be limited to a review of questions of law. The Supreme Court shall also have original jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus, certiorari, prohibition, and habeas corpus, and all writs necessary or proper to the complete exercise of its appellate jurisdiction.	”
—Idaho Constitution, Article V, Section 9

Justices

The table below lists the current judges of the Idaho Supreme Court, their political party, when they assumed office, and the appointing governor.

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office	Appointed by
Idaho Supreme Court	G. Richard Bevan	Nonpartisan	2017	Butch Otter (R)
Idaho Supreme Court	Robyn Brody	Nonpartisan	January 2, 2017	Elected
Idaho Supreme Court	Cynthia Meyer	Nonpartisan	January 5, 2024	Brad Little (R)
Idaho Supreme Court	Gregory W. Moeller	Nonpartisan	2019	Butch Otter (R)
Idaho Supreme Court	Colleen Zahn	Nonpartisan	July 1, 2021	Brad Little (R)

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Idaho

The five justices of the Idaho Supreme Court are elected in nonpartisan elections. They serve six-year terms, after which they must seek re-election if they wish to retain their seat. To learn more about these elections, visit the Idaho judicial elections page.

Qualifications

To serve on the supreme court, a judge must:

• be at least 30 years old;
• be a U.S. citizen;
• be an Idaho resident for at least two years;
• be in good standing as an active or judicial member of the state bar for at least two years; and
• a licensed attorney for at least 10 years.

Chief justice

The chief justice of the supreme court is selected by peer vote to serve a four-year term.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, an interim judge is appointed by the governor from a list of two to four names provided by a nominating commission. This judge will serve out the remainder of the unexpired term, after which he or she must run in a nonpartisan election to remain on the court.

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections

See also: Idaho Supreme Court elections

2024

See also: Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2024

The term of one Idaho Supreme Court justice expired on January 6, 2025. One seat was up for nonpartisan election on May 21, 2024. A runoff was scheduled for November 5, 2024. The filing deadline was March 15, 2024.

General election

General election for Idaho Supreme Court

Incumbent G. Richard Bevan won election in the general election for Idaho Supreme Court on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		G. Richard Bevan (Nonpartisan)	100.0	215,306

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 215,306
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2022

See also: Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2022

The terms of two Idaho Supreme Court justices expired on January 2, 2023. The two seats were up for nonpartisan election on May 17, 2022. A runoff was scheduled for November 8, 2022.

General election

General election for Idaho Supreme Court

Incumbent Colleen Zahn won election in the general election for Idaho Supreme Court on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Colleen Zahn (Nonpartisan)	100.0	221,658

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 221,658
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Idaho Supreme Court

Incumbent Robyn Brody won election in the general election for Idaho Supreme Court on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robyn Brody (Nonpartisan)	100.0	221,501

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 221,501
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2020

The terms of two Idaho Supreme Court justices expired on January 4, 2021. The two seats were up for nonpartisan election on May 19, 2020. A runoff election was scheduled for November 3, 2020.

Candidates and election results

Moeller's seat

General election candidates

• Gregory W. Moeller  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Stegner's seat

General election candidates

• John R. Stegner  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

2018

See also: Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2018

The term of one Idaho Supreme Court justice expired on January 6, 2019. That justice stood for nonpartisan election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench. The general election took place on May 15, 2018. G. Richard Bevan was retained.

Candidates and results

Bevan's seat

■ G. Richard Bevan (Incumbent, unopposed)a

2016

Two seats on the Idaho Supreme Court were up for election in 2016. These seats were held by Chief Justice Jim Jones and Justice Roger Burdick heading into the election.

Justice Burdick ran unopposed on May 17 and won re-election.

Justice Jones did not stand for re-election. Robyn Brody and Curt McKenzie competed in a runoff election for Jones' seat on November 8; Brody defeated McKenzie.

Candidates

Jim Jones' seat

■ Robyn Brody
■ Curt McKenzie

Defeated in primary

■ Sergio Gutierrez
■ Clive Strong

Withdrawn

■ Christ Troupis
■ William Seiniger

Roger Burdick's seat

■ Roger Burdick (Incumbent/Unopposed)

November 8 runoff election

Robyn Brody defeated Curt McKenzie in the runoff for the Idaho Supreme Court, Jones' seat.

Idaho Supreme Court, Jones' Seat, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Robyn Brody	53.80%	298,983
Curt McKenzie	46.20%	256,719
Total Votes (100% reporting)		555,702
Source: Idaho Secretary of State Official Results

May 17 general election

Idaho Supreme Court, Justice Jones' Seat, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Robyn Brody	30.29%	45,282
Curt McKenzie	27.66%	41,348
Sergio Gutierrez	21.37%	31,944
Clive Strong	20.68%	30,921
Total Votes (938 of 938: 100%)		149,495
Source: Idaho Secretary of State Official Results

Idaho Supreme Court, Justice Burdick's Seat, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Roger Burdick Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	135,592
Total Votes (938 of 938: 100%)		135,592
Source: Idaho Secretary of State Official Results

• Election history, 2008-2014 (click to expand)

  2014

  For in-depth coverage of the state's high court races, see: Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2014

  See also: Idaho judicial elections, 2014

  Horton seat

  Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
  SeinigerWilliam "Breck" Seiniger	No	34.2%
  HortonJoel Horton	Yes	65.8%A

  Unopposed	Judge Warren E. Jones (Jones seat)

  2010

  See also: 2010 State Supreme Court elections

  Incumbent Roger Burdick defeated John Bradbury.

  Idaho Supreme Court 2010 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Roger Burdick		n/a	58.4%
  John Bradbury		n/a	n/a

  Jim Jones ran uncontested and was re-elected.

  Idaho Supreme Court 2010 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Jim Jones		n/a	100%

  2008

  See also: State Supreme Court elections, 2008

  Incumbent Joel Horton defeated challenger John Bradbury.

  Idaho Supreme Court 2008 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Joel Horton		n/a	n/a
  John Bradbury		n/a	n/a

Appointments

2023

See also: Idaho Supreme Court justice vacancy (October 2023)

Governor Brad Little (R) appointed Cynthia Meyer to serve on the Idaho Supreme Court. Meyer was sworn in on January 5, 2024. Meyer replaces Justice John R. Stegner, who retired on October 31, 2023, citing his desire to return to private practice. Stegner's replacement is Governor Little's second nominee to the five-member supreme court.

In Idaho, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, an interim judge is appointed by the governor from a list of two to four names provided by a nominating commission. This judge will serve out the remainder of the unexpired term, after which he or she must run in a nonpartisan election to remain on the court.

2021

See also: Idaho Supreme Court justice vacancy (June 2021)

Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) appointed Colleen Zahn to the Idaho Supreme Court on June 1, 2021. Zahn succeeded Roger Burdick, who retired on June 30, 2021. Zahn was Gov. Little's first nominee to the five-member supreme court.

At the time of the vacancy, an interim judge was appointed by the governor from a list of two to four names provided by a nominating commission in the event of a midterm vacancy, under Idaho law. The judge would serve out the remainder of the unexpired term, after which they would have to run in a nonpartisan election to remain on the court.

2018

See also: Idaho Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2018)

Idaho Supreme Court Justice Joel Horton retired on December 31, 2018. He joined the court in September 2007.
Under Idaho law, an interim judge is appointed by the governor from a list of two to four names provided by a nominating commission if a midterm vacancy occurs on the court. At the end of the term, the appointed judge must be elected in nonpartisan elections to retain the seat for a six-year term.

Horton's replacement was Gov. Butch Otter's (R) fourth nominee to the five-member supreme court.

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached in each year. As of September 2024, data more recent than 2014 was not available online.

Idaho Supreme Court caseload data
Year	Filings	Dispositions
2015	90	139
2014	163	126
2013	145	120
2012	123	104
2011	160	169
2010	164	356
2009	173	217
2008	938	350
2007	936	365

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

• We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
• We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
• We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
• We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

• Number of justices: 5
• Number of cases: 140
• Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 90.0%% (126)
• Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice G. Richard Bevan (29)
• Per curiam decisions: 0
• Concurring opinions: 8
• Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice John Stegner (5)
• Dissenting opinions: 14
• Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice John Stegner (8)

For the study's full set of findings in Idaho, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

• Strong Democrat
• Mild Democrat
• Indeterminate
• Mild Republican
• Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.

Idaho had a Court Balance Score of 7, indicating Republican control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)

See also: Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores of state supreme court justices, 2012

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Idaho was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Idaho received a score of 0.75. Based on the justices selected, Idaho was the 5th most conservative court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.

Noteworthy cases

For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

Ethics

The Idaho Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Idaho. It consists of five overarching canons:

“

Canon 1: A judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety. Canon 2: A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially, competently, and diligently. Canon 3: A judge shall conduct the judge's personal and extrajudicial activities in such manner as to minimize the risk of conflict with the obligations of judicial office. Canon 4: A judge or candidate for judicial office shall not engage in political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary.

”

The full text of the Idaho Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Idaho may be removed in one of two ways:

• The Idaho Judicial Council may investigate a complaint against an Idaho judge and then recommend to the supreme court that the judge should face discipline, removal, or retirement. The supreme court may then review the recommendation and investigate further before determining whether to reject the recommendation, or order discipline, removal or retirement of the judge.
• Impeachment by a majority vote of the Idaho House of Representatives and conviction by a two-thirds vote of the Idaho State Senate.

History of the court

Idaho Supreme Court building in Boise, Idaho

Idaho became a part of the Oregon territory in 1848. The territory encompassed much of present-day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. A territorial government was put into operation in 1849 that included a supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and justices of the peace, as provided in the Territorial Act. The supreme court consisted of three justices, appointed by the U.S. president with consent of the U.S. senate, for four-year terms. The territory was divided into three circuits and the justices were required to ride circuit as district court judges throughout the year. Appeals of district court decisions were heard by the territorial supreme court. Appeals from the territorial supreme court were taken to the U.S. Supreme Court. Idaho became a territory of its own with the Organic Act of March 3, 1863. A territorial supreme court was created in the Organic Act and the territory was divided into three judicial districts. Three judges, nominated by President Abraham Lincoln, served four-year terms in the territory and constituted the territorial supreme court. This meant that appointed judges sat on appeals of their own decisions as the court of last resort. The supreme court was required to hold at least one term each year in the territorial capital. The first court business occurred in January 1866 and this judicial system existed until Idaho achieved statehood. In its existence, the territorial supreme court heard a total of 283 cases.

With the achievement of statehood on July 4, 1890, the supreme court was created through the Idaho Constitution. The constitution called for three justices, elected by state voters at-large, for terms of six years.

In 1920 state voters passed an amendment Idaho Increase Supreme Court Membership, HJR 6 (1920) increasing the number of justices on the supreme court to five. This is the present size of the court. Justices continue to be elected in statewide nonpartisan elections for terms of six years.

It holds terms of court in Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Lewiston, Pocatello, Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Caldwell, and Twin Falls. The court's permanent home is in Boise.

Courts in Idaho

See also: Courts in Idaho

In Idaho, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes.

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Idaho's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Idaho's state court system.

Party control of Idaho state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Idaho has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

External links

• State of Idaho Judicial Branch, "Idaho Supreme Court," accessed June 2, 2014

Footnotes

Idaho courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Idaho • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Idaho

State courts:

Idaho Supreme Court • Idaho Court of Appeals • Idaho District Courts • Idaho Magistrate Division

State resources:

Courts in Idaho • Idaho judicial elections • Judicial selection in Idaho