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Idaho Supreme Court justice vacancy (October 2023)
| Idaho Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Stegner vacancy |
| Date: October 31, 2023 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Cynthia Meyer |
| Date: November 6, 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.[1] 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.[2]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Idaho Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of finalists recommended to the governor.
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2023.
The appointee
- See also: Cynthia Meyer
On November 6, 2023, Governor Brad Little appointed Cynthia Meyer to the Idaho Supreme Court.[3]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Finalists
On October 19, 2023, the Idaho Judicial Council released a list of the four finalists. From here, Governor Brad Little must select a nominee from this list to serve the remainder of Stegner's unexpired term, which ends in January 2027. The finalists are:[4]
- Attorney Christopher P. Graham
- First Judicial District judge Cynthia K.C. Meyer
- Fourth Judicial District judge Diane M. Walker
- Former Idaho Attorney General Lawrence G. Wasden
Applicants
On August 21, 2023, the Idaho Judicial Council released a list of nine applicants to fill the Stegner vacancy. The list included, listed in alphabetical order by last name:[5]
- Boise city councilman Patrick C. Bageant
- First Judicial District magistrate judge John A. Cafferty
- Attorney Matthew T. Christensen
- Attorney Christopher P. Graham
- Attorney Leslie M. Hayes
- First Judicial District judge Cynthia K.C. Meyer
- Attorney Kimberly E. Smith
- Fourth Judicial District judge Diane M. Walker
- Former Idaho Attorney General Lawrence G. Wasden
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Idaho
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.[2]
Makeup of the court
- See also: Idaho Supreme Court
Justices
Following Stegner's retirement, the Idaho Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Robyn Brody | Elected in 2016 and 2022 | |
| ■ G. Richard Bevan | Appointed by Gov. Butch Otter (R) in 2017 and elected in 2018 | |
| ■ Gregory W. Moeller | Appointed by Gov. Butch Otter (R) in 2018 and elected in 2020 | |
| ■ Colleen Zahn | Appointed by Gov. Brad Little (R) in 2021 and elected in 2022 |
About the court
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.[6]
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.
About Justice Stegner
- See also: John R. Stegner
Stegner received his bachelor's degree from Whitman College in 1977 and his J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1982. He was managing editor of the Idaho Law Review.[7]
Stegner's professional experience includes clerking for Judge Harold Ryan on the United States District Court for the District of Idaho for two years and working in private practice for 12 years. He also managed Gov. Butch Otter's (R) first gubernatorial campaign in 1978.[8] Stegner served as a judge on the Idaho 2nd Judicial District Court from 1997 to 2018. Gov. Phil Batt (R) appointed him to that court. Stegner established and presided over Latah County’s Drug Court and Mental Health Court during his tenure as a district judge. In 2018, Otter appointed him to the state supreme court.[7]
Stegner received the Idaho Judiciary's George G. Granata Jr. Award and the Idaho State Bar Association's Distinguished Jurist Award. According to his official biography, he was the first judge to be awarded both.[7]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2023
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2023
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2023. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ State of Idaho Judicial Branch, "Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner to Retire," accessed December 7, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 14, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Little appoints District Judge Cynthia Meyer to the Idaho Supreme Court," November 6, 2023
- ↑ Idaho Judicial Council, "Press Release: Names Submitted to Governor," October 19, 2023
- ↑ Idaho Judicial Council, "CANDIDATES FOR APPOINTMENT FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ," August 21, 2023
- ↑ State of Idaho Judicial Branch, "History & Procedures of the Idaho Supreme Court," accessed September 14, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 State of Idaho Judicial Branch, "Justice John R. Stegner," accessed July 1, 2021
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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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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