Idaho Bills

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the number of judges in the Seventh Judicial District.

This bill would add a new district judge position in the Seventh Judicial District to be chambered in Bonneville County. The Seventh Judicial District, which is comprised of ten (10) counties covering more than 20,000 squaremiles, isthelargestjudicialdistrictinIdaho. Itisalsothethirdmostpopulousjudicialdistrictinthestate andhasseena22%populationincreaseoverten(10)years. Allofthedistrictjudgesinthedistricttraveltocover cases in counties other than the county in which they are chambered, and four (4) district judges chambered elsewhere in the district handle regular calendars in Bonneville County. Based upon regular calendars, and not including travel for trials, it is estimated the six (6) current district judges expend more than 51 days of drive time each year in order to cover cases throughout the district. In addition, all six (6) of the current district judges preside over a treatment court and four (4) of those district judges travel to other counties for those proceedings. Finally, Bonneville County is the medical hub of eastern Idaho, with two (2) major hospitals and multiple specialist doctors in Idaho Falls. As a result, the district judges in Bonneville County handle a significant number of highly complex and intensely litigated medical malpractice cases. The Seventh Judicial District’s significant population growth, along with the unique demands of this large district consisting of both small and large counties, necessitate that an additional district judge chambered in Bonneville County is needed to provide timely and fair access to the public and increase the efficient allocation of court resources.

Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the number of judges in the First Judicial District.

This bill would add a new district judge position in the First Judicial District to be chambered in Kootenai County. Kootenai County is the third fastest growing county in Idaho. It has been projected the county’s estimated July 1, 2023, population of 185,010 will be more than 300,000 by 2040. The district judges in the First Judicial District see the highest level of filings per judge across the state, and district-level civil filings have recently spiked in Kootenai County. For years, district judges from other counties in the First District have covered cases in Kootenai County to assist with the processing of the heavy caseloads there. However, recently it has been necessary for one (1) district judge from another county to travel to Kootenai County well over a week each month and another district judge from a different county to devote a week each month in Kootenai County. This situation negatively affects these visiting judges’ time for handling growing caseloads in other counties, requires the expense of considerable drive time by those judges, and severely limits the time needed to research, draft, and issue decisions. As a result, an additional district judge chambered in Kootenai County is needed to improve the efficiency of the courts and ensure the public’s timely access to justice