Idaho judicial elections, 2014

Idaho judicial elections, 2014
Overview
Total candidates:	92
Primary candidates:	54
General election candidates:	43
Incumbency
Incumbents:	79
Incumbent success rate:	100%
Competition - general election
Percent of candidates in contested races:	9%
Percent uncontested:	2%
Percent retention:	89%

2015 → ← 2013
Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2014
Judicial election dates
Candidates by state
Supreme court elections

The Idaho judicial elections in 2014 featured one contested supreme court race, as well as seven contested races for the district courts--only two of which advanced to a runoff in November. Retention elections for the state's magistrates also occurred in November. Thirty-eight magistrate court judges were successfully retained with an average retention rate of 83.0%.

See: Idaho elections summary, 2014.

Election dates

• March 14: Filing deadline
• May 20: Election
• November 4: Retention elections and runoffs

In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work, as well as articles about noteworthy news in races across the state.

Want to learn more about the biggest judicial election in Idaho in 2014? Check out the Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2014 page for an in-depth exploration of the candidates, issues, politics and news surrounding the state's high court race.

Runoff elections

(I) denotes incumbent

4th District Court, Wetherell seat

• Rebecca W. Arnold, 47.2%A
• Samuel A. Hoagland, 52.8%A

7th District Court, Shindurling seat

• Bruce L. Pickett, 59.3%A
• Steven H. Thompson, 40.7%A

Retentions

The following judges faced a retention election in order to keep their seat. In such elections, the incumbent judge is not being evaluated against an opponent. Rather, he or she simply receives votes of "yes" to retain or "no", do not retain.

Trial courts

Court	Judge	Votes
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Blaine Cannon	85.8%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Calvin Campbell (Idaho)	87.7%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Carolyn Minder	78.7%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Casey U. Robinson	86.1%A
Idaho First Judicial District	Daniel J. McGee	84.0%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Daniel Steckel	77.8%A
Idaho First Judicial District	Debra A. Heise	83.5%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District	Debra A. Orr	80.3%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District	F. Randall Kline	80.3%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District	Gary D. DeMeyer	79.6%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District	Gil Gardner	83.9%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	James Cawthon	77.8%A
Idaho First Judicial District	James D. Stow	84.5%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District	Jayme Beaber Sullivan	80.7%A
Idaho 2nd Judicial District	Jeff P. Payne	81.5%A
Idaho 2nd Judicial District	John Judge	89.6%A
Idaho First Judicial District	Justin Julian	78%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Kevin Swain	77.6%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District	L. Mark Riddoch	83.9%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Lamont Berecz	83.7%A
Idaho First Judicial District	Lori T. Meulenberg	85.1%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Lynnette McHenry	78.9%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Mark A. Ingram	88.9%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District	Mark S. Rammell	87.2%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Michael Reardon	78.3%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District	Michelle Mallard	84.7%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Mick Hodges	70.8%A
Idaho 2nd Judicial District	Randall W. Robinson	84.4%A
Idaho 6th Judicial District	Rick Carnaroli	87%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Rick L. Bollar	87.1%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District	Robert Crowley (Idaho)	82%A
Idaho First Judicial District	Robert James Caldwell	85.3%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District	Roger Cockerille	76.7%A
Idaho 6th Judicial District	Scott E. Axline	86%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District	Scott H. Hansen	86%A
Idaho First Judicial District	Scott Wayman	84.8%A
Idaho 6th Judicial District	Steven A. Thomsen	86.3%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District	Thomas D. Kershaw, Jr.	88.1%A

Election results: May 20

Most races were decided during the state's primary election, as races only advanced to the November election if no candidate received a majority of the votes in the primary.

Court	Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Seventh Judicial District	Andre Linchenko Lawson	No	26.3%A
First Judicial District	Barbara A. BuchananA	Yes	100%A
First Judicial District	Benjamin R. SimpsonA	Yes	100%A
Third Judicial District	Bradly S. FordA	Yes	100%A
Seventh Judicial District	Bruce L. Pickett	No	49.0%A
Fourth Judicial District	Cheri CopseyA	Yes	100%A
Seventh Judicial District	Dane Hansen Watkins, Jr.A	Yes	100%A
Seventh Judicial District	Darren B. SimpsonA	Yes	73.7%A
Sixth Judicial District	David C. NyeA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Deborah BailA	Yes	100%A
Fifth Judicial District	Eric WildmanA	Yes	100%A
First Judicial District	Fred GiblerA	Yes	100%A
Fifth Judicial District	G. Richard BevanA	Yes	100%A
Third Judicial District	George A. SouthworthA	Yes	100%A
Seventh Judicial District	Gregory W. MoellerA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Jeanne M. Howe	No	15.1%A
Second Judicial District	Jeff BrudieA	Yes	56.6%A
Seventh Judicial District	Joel E. TingeyA	Yes	64.0%A
Idaho Supreme Court	Joel HortonA	Yes	65.8%A
Second Judicial District	John H. Bradbury	No	43.4%A
Fifth Judicial District	John K. ButlerA	Yes	100%A
First Judicial District	John Mitchell (Idaho)A	Yes	100%A
Second Judicial District	John R. StegnerA	Yes	100%A
Fifth Judicial District	Jon P. BrodyA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Jonathan Medema	No	18.8%A
Third Judicial District	Juneal C. KerrickA	Yes	100%A
First Judicial District	Lansing L. HaynesA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Les Bock	No	44.2%A
Sixth Judicial District	Lynn Brower	No	45.1%A
Fourth Judicial District	Lynn Graham NortonA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Melissa MoodyA	Yes	100%A
Second Judicial District	Michael J. GriffinA	Yes	100%A
Fifth Judicial District	Michael R. CrabtreeA	Yes	100%A
Sixth Judicial District	Mitchell W. BrownA	Yes	100%A
Third Judicial District	Molly HuskeyA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Patrick OwenA	Yes	100%A
Fifth Judicial District	Randy J. StokerA	Yes	100%A
7th Judicial District	Randy Neal	No	36.0%
Fourth Judicial District	Rebecca W. Arnold	No	34.3%A
Fourth Judicial District	Richard Greenwood (Idaho)A	Yes	55.8%A
First Judicial District	Richard S. ChristensenA	Yes	100%A
Sixth Judicial District	Robert C. NaftzA	Yes	54.9%A
Fifth Judicial District	Robert ElgeeA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Samuel A. Hoagland	No	31.8%A
Seventh Judicial District	Scott J. Davis	No	22.4%A
Idaho Supreme Court	Sergio GutierrezA	Yes	100%A
Sixth Judicial District	Stephen S. DunnA	Yes	100%A
Seventh Judicial District	Steven H. Thompson	No	28.6%A
Third Judicial District	Susan WiebeA	Yes	100%A
Third Judicial District	Thomas J. RyanA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Thomas NevilleA	Yes	100%A
Fourth Judicial District	Timothy HansenA	Yes	100%A
Idaho Supreme Court	Warren E. JonesA	Yes	100%A
Idaho Supreme Court	William "Breck" Seiniger	No	34.2%A

Process

Nonpartisan election

Supreme court, court of appeals and district court races are decided during the state's primary election. However, if no candidate in a judicial race receives over 50 percent of the votes in the primary, the two candidates who received the greatest number of votes advance to the general election, which functions as a sort of judicial runoff election.

If a race advances to the general election, but one of the candidates leaves the race before that time, the candidate who received the next highest number of votes in the primary takes their spot on the general election ballot. In such a situation, if there is a tie for third place in the primary, the candidate to advance to the general election is chosen by lot by the secretary of state.

Note: In May 2012, the Idaho Republican Party switched to a closed primary system, which required voters to identify as Republicans before voting. To read more about this, see: Some Idaho voters avoid closed primary, May 17, 2012.

Retention

Magistrates stand for retention in the general election, which is held in November. Judges file for retention in August. Specifically, they must file their declaration of candidacy no less than 90 days prior to the election.

The ballot includes the following language for such elections: "Shall Magistrate __ of __ County of the __ Judicial District be retained in office?" The voter may then choose to answer either "Yes" or "No". The magistrate must receive a majority of "yes" votes to be retained to a new term.

Fees

The filing fee for supreme court and court of appeals candidates is $300. Candidates for the district courts must pay $150. Alternately, candidates may collect signatures in order to waive the filing fee. Supreme court and court of appeals candidates are required to collect 1,000 signatures and district court candidates are required to collect 200 (as of 2014).

Noteworthy events

The following articles were current as of the dates listed.

Idaho primary results are in now May 29, 2014

Click for story→

See also: JP Election Brief: Primary season in high gear--what you may have missed and upcoming races to watch Idaho's May 20 judicial primary saw eight contested judicial races in the state in 2014, with six of these decided in the primary. In Idaho, if a supreme court, court of appeals or district court candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, that candidate automatically wins the election. If no primary candidate receives over half of the votes, then the two candidates who received the most votes progress to the general election. The general election in this case functions similarly to a runoff election. Incumbent Joel Horton defeated challenger William Seiniger for re-election to the Idaho Supreme Court. Horton garnered 65.8 percent of the votes, to Steiniger's 34.2 percent. In the Fourth Judicial District, incumbent Richard Greenwood defeated challenger Les Bock in a race by 55.8 percent to 44.2 percent. In the Second Judicial District, incumbent Jeff Brudie won over John H. Bradbury, 56.6 percent to 43.4 percent. In the Seventh Judicial District race, incumbent Darren B. Simpson received 73.7 percent of the votes to keep his seat over challenger Andre Linchenko Lawson, who received 26.3 percent. Joel E. Tingey kept his seat by defeating challenger Randy Neal, 64.0 percent to 36.0 percent. In the Sixth Judicial District race, incumbent Robert C. Naftz received 54.9 percent of the votes to defeat challenger Lynn Brower. Brower received 45.1 percent of the votes. Idaho's November 4 general election included just two contested judicial races. In the Seventh Judicial District, Steven H. Thompson faced Bruce L. Pickett to compete for the Shindurling seat. In the primary, Thompson received 28.6 percent of the votes, Pickett received 49.0 percent and Scott J. Davis received 22.4 percent. Davis was eliminated and did not advance to the general election. The other contested race took place in the Fourth Judicial District. The primary was a four-way face off between Jeanne M. Howe, Jonathan Medema, Samuel A. Hoagland and Rebecca W. Arnold. Howe and Medema did not advance to the general election, receiving 15.1 percent and 18.8 percent of the votes, respectively. Hoagland and Arnold ran on November 4 for the Wetherell seat. Both candidates earned a similar number of votes in the primary; Hoagland received 31.8 percent of the primary vote and Arnold received 34.3 percent.

Idaho judicial primary races to watch May 15, 2014

Click for story→

See also: JP Election Brief: Candidate attacks The primary election on May 20 brought an end to most of the state's contested judicial races. Candidates who received over 50 percent of the nonpartisan primary votes were declared the automatic winners, without having to run in the general election. The state supreme court race featured incumbent Joel Horton and challenger William Seiniger. Horton, who was appointed in 2007 and elected in 2008, was seeking his second full term on the court. Horton had reported over $69,000 in campaign contributions by mid-May. Attorney Seiniger had no officially reported contributions. The primary also included several contested trial court races. Some contests included no incumbent candidate. There was one such race in the 4th District and another in the 7th District. The candidates for those races were: 4th District - Wetherell seat Samuel A. Hoagland Rebecca W. Arnold Jonathan Medema Jeanne M. Howe 7th District - Shindurling seat Steven H. Thompson Bruce L. Pickett Scott J. Davis A number of district court judges faced challengers in their bids for re-election, including: 2nd District: Jeff Brudie (incumbent) vs. John H. Bradbury 4th District: Richard Greenwood (incumbent) vs. Les Bock 6th District: Robert C. Naftz (incumbent) vs. Lynn Brower 7th District: Darren B. Simpson (incumbent) vs. Andre Linchenko Lawson Joel E. Tingey (incumbent) vs. Randy Neal

Conflict in Idaho Supreme Court race April 24, 2014

Click for story→

See also: JP Election Brief: Primary match-ups across the nation Running for re-election to the Idaho Supreme Court this year was Joel Horton—a man who won the seat in 2008 by a margin of 0.02 percent. His competitor, Boise attorney Breck Seiniger, published a write-up on his website criticizing Horton's conduct in a prior case. The article, describing an incident that took place during the 2008 election season, raised concerns about Horton’s impartiality in a 2008 case involving J.R. Simplot Company when the food corporation was caught in a lawsuit with Idaho farmers: “ During [Horton's re-election campaign], the Idaho Supreme Court deliberated on an appeal filed by J.R. Simplot to overturn a jury’s $2,435,906 verdict against the corporation in favor of a group of Idaho farmers. It just so happens that the treasurer for Horton’s re-election campaign was, at the same time, in-house counsel for J.R. Simplot. … Our justice system only succeeds when people have full confidence in the impartiality and fairness of the judges. By participating in the deliberations on this case AND writing the majority decision, Horton gave the appearance that the integrity of the Idaho Supreme Court was severely compromised. Justices are expected to identify any conflict of interest—or the appearance of any conflict of interest—that may cause them to be biased—or appear biased—while deciding a case and voluntarily recuse themselves from the case in order to prevent a biased ruling from being handed down.[sic] ” —Breck Seiniger Beneath the write-up, Seiniger supplied readers with documents noting the appointment of Horton's treasurer, Horton's declaration of candidacy, a Martindale.com listing of the treasurer's affiliation with Simplot and more. In an interview, Horton denied that his tie to the agribusiness leveraged him campaign support or influenced the lawsuit's outcome. He stated that his challenger was looking to "distinguish himself" and had "taken a few things out of context that represent a flat misunderstanding of how the court works.” Horton said he agreed with Seiniger that judges ought not allow outside influences to sway their rulings: “ I don’t think the justices of the Supreme Court ought to be representing anybody. Our job is to try to get the law right. The five of us have worked hard to get the law right, not to decide cases on who we think ought to win, but on the basis of the law. ” —Joel Horton

See also

• Idaho judicial elections
• Judicial selection in Idaho

External links

• Idaho Secretary of State, "Elections"

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