JUDICIAL BRANCH

The Judicial Branch interprets Idaho’s laws and ensures justice is applied fairly and consistently. It operates independently from the executive and legislative branches, yet serves as a vital check and balance within state government.

Idaho’s court system is unified under the Idaho Supreme Court, which oversees the state’s appellate and trial courts. Here’s how a case can move through the system—click a court below to learn more about it:

Idaho’s appellate judges—the justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Appeals—run in nonpartisan elections, but most first reach the bench through a vacancy rather than a contested race. When a seat opens, the Idaho Judicial Council reviews applicants and recommends a short list of finalists to the Governor, who appoints one to fill the seat. That judge then stands before voters at the next general election, and periodically thereafter, to remain on the bench. District judges are elected locally within their district, while magistrate judges are appointed by a county magistrates commission and later face retention elections.

Unlike Idaho’s legislative and executive races, judicial elections carry no party affiliation at all—no party appears on the ballot, in official records, or on this site’s judicial profiles.