Six eastern Idaho prosecutors announce support for Boyce in judge’s race
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IDAHO FALLS — Multiple county prosecutors from across eastern Idaho have announced their support for District Judge Steven Boyce in the upcoming judicial election.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the prosecutors said they are “proud to endorse Judge Steven Boyce in the upcoming judicial election to be held on May 19, 2026.”
Boyce has been a Seventh District judge since 2019 and is running against Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal for the judgeship position.
The prosecutors supporting Boyce include:
- Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood
- Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake
- Jefferson County Prosecutor Paul Butikofer
- Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley
- Custer County Prosecutor Paul Rogers
- Clark County Prosecutor Janna Birch
“(Boyce) has consistently upheld the standards required of our judges. He is fair, impartial, and upholds the rights of both victims and defendants,” the prosecutors write. “Of note, he presided over two of the longest criminal trials in Idaho history.”
In April 2023, Boyce oversaw the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, which lasted five weeks. One year later, he presided over the trial for Vallow-Daybell’s husband, Chad Daybell, which lasted two months.
The prosecutors say they are supporting Boyce because they believe he has the community’s best interests in mind during sentencing hearings.
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“Due to the adversarial nature of our criminal justice system, no judge will ever agree with the prosecution or the defense one hundred percent of the time,” says the statement. “However, as the public officials tasked with protecting public safety through our criminal justice system, we can say that Judge Boyce consistently sentences criminal defendants with an emphasis on the safety of our communities.”
This is not the first time Neal’s coworkers and counterparts have seemed unsupportive of his candidacy.
Last week, the Idaho State Bar released the results of a survey given to every member which showed a clear preference for Boyce among local lawyers and judges.
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Teton County Prosecutor Bailey Smith and Lemhi County Prosecutor Chase Slavin were the only two prosecutors in the Seventh District who did not sign the endorsement statement.