Idaho Supreme Court names new chief justice, the second woman to lead Idaho’s highest court
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BOISE — As the current chief justice prepares to retire, the Idaho Supreme Court has selected the next to take his role.
Justice Robyn Brody has been selected as the next chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, effective Oct. 1, according to a news release from the Idaho Supreme Court.
Succeeding Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan, who announced earlier this year he will retire from the Court Oct. 30, Justice Brody will become the second woman to lead Idaho’s highest court.
“The chief justice position in Idaho is not tied to an elected term of office, but is selected from among the five justices by a majority vote of the Court as provided in the Idaho Constitution,” says the release. “The chief justice leads the Court in its judicial role, deciding appeals. They are also the executive head of Idaho’s state courts and work with their fellow justices to manage a unified and integrated system throughout the state.”
This means there will be no vacancy on the court until after Justice Bevan’s retirement at the end of October.
Justice Brody was elected to the Supreme Court after a statewide race in 2016 and is now in her second six-year term in elected office.
“Justice Brody has long worked to ensure that in a changing world, our courts remain accessible to all. Our Judicial Branch is in excellent hands,” Chief Justice Bevan says in the release.
According to the release, Brody is currently vice chief of the Court and is actively involved in multiple committees related to Idaho’s families and children.
“Justice Brody also chairs the Court’s Language Access Committee and the state’s Pro Bono Commission,” says the release. “She is a board member of the Idaho Law Foundation, which oversees the Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program and civic education programs like the Idaho High School Mock Trial Competition.”
Justice Brody has been an Idaho lawyer for nearly 30 years. Before joining the Court, she practiced law in the Magic Valley, starting her own law firm in 2010 in Rupert.
The release states that she is actively involved in continuing education for Idaho attorneys and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Idaho College of Law, where she taught a small-law-firm management practicum.
“Idaho is a special place; the dedication and professionalism of our independent courts have helped make it so,” says Justice Brody in the release. “I am honored to serve our state in this way, and I am grateful for the trust of my fellow justices.”