Idaho Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2018)
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| Horton Vacancy Idaho Supreme Court |
| Vacancy date |
| Vacancy status |
| Nomination date |
| November 30, 2018 |
| Table of contents |
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Appointee candidates Selection process Noteworthy events About Justice Horton |
| See also |
| Recent news External links Footnotes |
Idaho Supreme Court Justice Joel Horton retired on December 31, 2018.[1] 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.
The appointee
- See also: Gregory W. Moeller
On November 30, 2018, Gov. Butch Otter (R) appointed Gregory W. Moeller to succeed Horton on the state supreme court.[2] At that time, Moeller was a judge for the Idaho 7th Judicial District.[3] Otter appointed Moeller to the Seventh Judicial District on April 2, 2009, to fill the seat vacated by Brent J. Moss.[4] Moeller was elected to a full term in 2010 and re-elected in May 2014.
Moeller received both his undergraduate and J.D. degrees from Brigham Young University.[4]
Prior to becoming a judge, Moeller was a partner at Rigby, Andrus & Moeller, Chartered, from 1990 to 2009.[4]
Moeller had been a finalist for a position on the state supreme court in 2017 and 2018.[2]
The selection process
Selection of state court judges in Idaho occurs primarily through nonpartisan elections. 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. If a judge retires before the end of his or her term, a replacement is appointed by the governor serve the remainder of the term.[5]
Appointee candidates and nominations
On October 31, 2018, the Idaho Judicial Council submitted four names to Gov. Otter as candidates to replace Horton.[6]
The recommendations named:
- Amanda K. Brailsford, a lawyer from Boise, Idaho.[7]
- Gregory W. Moeller, a Seventh Judicial District judge. Moeller joined the Seventh Judicial District in 2009.
- Rebecca A. Rainey, a lawyer from Boise.[7]
- Mary V. York, a lawyer from Boise.[7][8]
Noteworthy events
More women than men applied to fill the vacancy on the Idaho Supreme Court. Six women and five men applied for the opening. According to the Rexburg Standard Journal, "Idaho has been working for years to improve the representation of women in its judiciary, but the state currently ranks next-to-last in the nation, with just 17 percent female state judges. In 2012, Idaho ranked last at just 12 percent."[9]
Prior to Horton's retirement, the state supreme court consisted of four men and one woman.
About Justice Horton
Justice Horton was first appointed to the court by Republican Governor Butch Otter in September 2007 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Linda Copple Trout. Justice Horton was successfully retained to an additional six-year term on May 27, 2008.[10][11] He ran for re-election in 2014 and won another six-year term.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Horton was a judge in Idaho's 4th Judicial District from 1996 to 2007 and a judge on the Ada County Magistrate Court from 1994 to 1996. He worked as a prosecutor, deputy prosecuting attorney, and deputy attorney general in Ada County from 1986 to 1994. Horton received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Washington in 1982 and his J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1985.[10]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Associated Press, "Idaho Supreme Court justice to retire at end of year," June 29, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Idaho.gov, "Moeller appointed to Supreme Court; Brailsford picked for Court of Appeals," November 30, 2018
- ↑ Idaho Judicial Branch, "Seventh Judicial District," accessed April 9, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Standard Journal, "Moeller to replace Moss as 7th District Judge," April 4, 2009
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Idaho," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Judicial Council, "Press Release: Names Submitted to Governor," October 31, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Idaho Press, "In first for state, more women than men apply for Idaho Supreme Court opening," July 27, 2018
- ↑ Information for the candidates was accurate at the time of their application to the Idaho Supreme Court.
- ↑ Rexburg Standard Journal, "More women than men apply for Idaho Supreme Court opening," July 31, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 State of Idaho Judicial Branch, "Hon. Justice Joel D. Horton," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Live, "District Judge Joel Horton named to Idaho Supreme Court," September 18, 2007, accessed May 28, 2014
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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
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