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Senate Bill 1028 would add a district judge chambered in Kootenai County; committee sends bill to floor
Summary
The Administrative Office of the Courts asked the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee to add one district judge position for Idaho’s First Judicial District to be chambered in Kootenai County, citing population growth and caseload, and the committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation.
Jason Spellman, legal counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts at the Idaho Supreme Court, told the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee that Senate Bill 1028 would create one additional district judge position for the First Judicial District, to be chambered in Kootenai County. The committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation.
Spellman said Idaho currently has 49 district judges and the First Judicial District has seven judges; SB 1028 would add one judge so the First District would have eight. He described Kootenai County as the state’s third-fastest-growing county, cited a July 2023 population estimate of about 185,000 residents and said the county is projected to grow to roughly 300,000 by 2040.
Spellman told senators that First District judges carry the highest number of filings per judge in the state and that judges from other counties regularly travel to Kootenai County to help cover dockets, leaving limited time for research and opinion writing. He said commissioners from Kootenai and Bonneville counties had submitted letters supporting the request and that Kootenai County expects to have a new facility able to house an additional judge.
Senator Recti moved to send SB 1028 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; Senator Lent seconded the motion. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and the bill will go to the Senate floor.
