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Idaho chief justice urges pay raises and four new judges, citing heavy caseloads and recruitment drop
Summary
In a State of the Judiciary address to the Idaho Senate on Jan. 15, the chief justice asked lawmakers to fund four new trial judges in high‑need counties and to raise trial judge salaries toward $200,000 to address workloads, recruitment and retention problems.
BOISE, Idaho — The Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court told the Idaho Senate on Jan. 15 that the state needs funding for four additional judges and substantially higher judicial pay to address heavy caseloads, declining applicants and short staffing in several counties.
The chief justice said the court is requesting funding for “4 new judges across these counties” that include Kootenai, Twin Falls and Bonneville and urged lawmakers to raise trial court salaries “to closer to $200,000 annually.” The address was delivered during a scheduled appearance before the full Senate and later ordered spread upon the Senate journal by unanimous consent.
The request is aimed at easing pressure on trial courts that the chief justice described as operating under sustained strain. He described magistrate and district judges who rotate between a wide array of criminal, juvenile, family and civil matters and who travel between counties to cover backlogs. For…
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