Committee approves printing of proposals to add district judges in Kootenai and Bonneville counties

The Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee voted to send two request statutes (RS) to print that would add district judge positions for counties experiencing high caseloads and travel burdens.

Jason Spellman, legal counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts at the Idaho Supreme Court, described RS 31981 as a proposal to add a district judge chambered in Kootenai County (First Judicial District). He said the district covers five counties and currently has seven district judges; population growth and heavy caseloads have required judges from outside Kootenai County to travel into the county frequently to keep cases moving. "The combination of those two things has really resulted in an inefficient and unsustainable system whereby we have two district judges from outside of Kootenai County traveling into Kootenai County for a week or more each month to help keep cases moving there," Spellman said.

Spellman also presented RS 31982, a request to add a district judge chambered in Bonneville County (Seventh Judicial District). He said the Seventh District spans 10 counties and is the state’s largest geographically, producing substantial "windshield time"—travel time—that lowers judges' time for hearings, research and decisions.

Senator Wintrow moved to send RS 31981 to print; Senator Ricks seconded the motion. The motion carried by voice vote. Senator Ricks moved to send RS 31982 to print; Senator Wintrow seconded that motion, which also carried by voice vote. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript.

Committee members and the presenter cited heavy caseloads, population growth, and geographic size as the primary justifications for both requests. The requests would require statutory amendments to Title 1, Chapter 8 of the Idaho Code, which sets the number of district judge positions.