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Committee Approves Moving SB 1028 to Floor to Add District Judge in Kootenai County
Summary
The Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1028 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Jason Spellman of the Administrative Office of the Courts said the bill would add a district judge in Idaho's First Judicial District, chambered in Kootenai County, citing workload and population growth pressures.
Jason Spellman, legal counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts at the Idaho Supreme Court, told the Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee that Senate Bill 1028 would create a new district judge position chambered in Kootenai County in Idaho's First Judicial District.
"There are currently 49 district judges in Idaho," Spellman said, and the number is established by statute in Title I, Chapter 8 of Idaho Code. He said the First Judicial District has seven district judges now and the bill would add one more, chambered in Kootenai County to address caseload pressures.
Spellman described several operational challenges driving the request: judges in the district are covering multiple counties, with some judges traveling to Kootenai County regularly to cover dockets; that travel and cross-coverage leaves insufficient time for legal research and writing, he said. He also noted Kootenai County is among the state's fastest-growing counties and cited a July 2023 population estimate of about 185,000 residents. Spellman mentioned a projection to 300,000 people included in his presentation but did not specify the date attached to that projection in the hearing transcript.
Spellman said county officials have been consulted and that Kootenai County Commissioners provided a letter of support while acknowledging the county would need to provide resources to house and support a judge. He also noted that new court facilities are expected to address past space constraints.
There was no public testimony. Senator Recti moved to send SB 1028 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation; Senator Lent seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and the bill will move to the floor for further consideration.
If enacted, SB 1028 would change the statutory number of district judges by adding one judge to the First Judicial District with a chamber in Kootenai County; any budget and implementation details will be handled later in the legislative process.
