Idaho's Judicial Structure

The Supreme Court, the state's top appellate court, includes the Chief Justice and four other justices. Specific information about Idaho’s justices and judges may be found on the Court’s web site at http://www.isc.idaho.gov. Computer users with Acrobat Reader installed can access the text of the "Internal Rules of the Idaho Supreme Court" at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/rules/internal.pdf for a detailed description of the operation of the court.

The Supreme Court employs an Administrative Director of the Courts, supervised by the Chief Justice, whose duties include acting as the public information officer for the Court.

Contact information for the Administrative Director of the Courts may be found on the Court’s web site at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/policy.htm.

The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals hear appeals from District Courts and from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission and the Industrial Commission. The Court of Appeals hears cases assigned by the Supreme Court except capital murder convictions and appeals from the Public Utilities Commission or Industrial Commission. This Court includes a chief judge and two other judges. You may link to specific information about the Court of Appeals judges at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/directry.pdf.

The Supreme Court Clerk of the Courts can provide basic information, including the schedule of briefs and oral arguments, regarding the status of appellate cases before the Idaho Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Contact information for the Supreme Court Clerk of the Courts may be found on the Court’s Web site at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/policy.htm.

Idaho is divided into seven judicial districts, each with an Administrative Judge chosen by the other District Judges in the district.

A judicial district map, a chart depicting Idaho’s judicial structure and an “Overview of the Idaho Court System” is located at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/overview.pdf. Contact information for the state’s judicial districts and courts can be found at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/directry.pdf.

Each county has a District Court, which includes a Magistrate Division. There are 41 district judges and 87 magistrate judges in the state. District judges hear felony criminal cases and civil actions if the amount involved is more than $10,000, and appeals of decisions of the Magistrate Division. Each district judge employs a Court Reporter who is responsible for capturing the record of proceedings in that judge's court. See http://www.isc.idaho.gov/district.htm to link to the web sites of several of Idaho’s district courts. See also a statewide at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/courthse.htm.

The Magistrate Division hears probate matters, divorce proceedings, juvenile proceedings, initial felony proceedings through the preliminary hearing, criminal misdemeanors, infractions, civil cases when the amount in dispute does not exceed $10,000 and cases in Small Claims Court that is established for disputes of $4,000 or less. See chapter two of “Overview of the Idaho Court System” at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/overview.pdf for more information about the operation of Idaho’s district courts and magistrate divisions.

Senior Judges are those who have retired from full-time work. They provide an important service to the state’s judicial branch by continuing to make themselves available to hear cases on an as needed basis. By employing senior judges, the state court system has had additional flexibility in managing caseload increases in a cost effective manner.

Each judicial district employs a Trial Court Administrator, supervised by the Administrative District Judge and the Administrative Director of the Courts. The Trial Court Administrator helps to manage the district court operations, and often handles media contacts with court personnel and judges. Contact information for each judicial district’s Trial Court Administrator is in on page 6 of the Court directory located at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/directry.pdf . See chapter three of “Overview of the Idaho Court System” at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/overview.pdf for more information about the function of the Trial Court Administrator.

The elected Clerk of the District Court (the "county clerk") is an important link between the judiciary and county government. District court clerks and their deputies provide crucial services to district magistrates and judges. One important role of the elected clerk is to serve as one of the county’s jury commissioners, a group responsible for managing the jury selection process under supervision of the court. See Idaho Code § 2-205 and Idaho Code § 2-207 for more information on the jury commission and its operation.

The County Prosecutor is responsible for charging and prosecuting crimes and usually serves as the attorney for the county commission in civil matters. The county prosecutor handles all felony prosecutions. City Attorneys similarly handle city criminal and civil matters. Public Defenders are appointed for defendants unable to afford private attorneys. To contact County Prosecutors, City Attorneys and Public Defenders, refer to the listing of telephone and fax numbers for county courthouses in Idaho at http://www.isc.idaho.gov/directry.pdf