Idaho Supreme Court - Civil Decisions
Under the Idaho Constitution of 1890, the Idaho Supreme Court holds appellate jurisdiction over final decisions in district courts. Many of these cases reach the Supreme Court upon an appeal from the Idaho Court of Appeals, but the Supreme Court also may choose to review a case in the Court of Appeals at its discretion. The Supreme Court also may review appeals of orders by the Public Utilities Commission, the Idaho Industrial Commission, and the Industrial Accident Commission. It holds original jurisdiction to issue certain types of writs, such as writs of mandamus and habeas corpus, in addition to original jurisdiction over cases against the state government. The Court rotates among locations in Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Moscow, Lewiston, Pocatello, Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Caldwell, and Twin Falls
To serve on the Idaho Supreme Court, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen, an Idaho resident for at least two years, and at least 30 years old. They also must have practiced law in Idaho for at least 10 years. Five justices serve on the Court. Idaho selects justices by using a non-partisan election. In other words, candidates are listed on the ballot without their party affiliation. However, if a justice needs to be replaced before the end of their term, the assisted appointment method applies. This means that the Idaho Judicial Council sends a list of candidates to the Governor of Idaho, who will choose the interim justice. Each justice generally serves a renewable six-year term, although the Chief Justice serves a four-year term. The Chief Justice receives their appointment from the Governor after being chosen by a majority of the current justices.
A justice may be removed from the Idaho Supreme Court if the Court determines that removal is appropriate upon the recommendation of the Idaho Judicial Council. A justice also may be removed if they are impeached by the Idaho State Legislature in a majority vote and by the Idaho State Senate in a two-thirds vote.
Recent Decisions From the Idaho Supreme Court - Civil
Date: May 18, 2022
Docket Number: 47652
Justia Opinion Summary: S Bar Ranch owned approximately 3000 acres of land in rural Elmore County, Idaho. S Bar purchased the land in 2015. There were very few structures on S Bar’s property, save for an airplane hangar that included a five-hun...
Date: May 18, 2022
Docket Number: 48568
Justia Opinion Summary: Daniel Sharp suffered an injury to his lower back from an accident at work in 2015. After surgery, he was repeatedly advised to lose weight by the medical providers treating his injury. However, Sharp gained considerable...
Date: May 18, 2022
Docket Number: 48769
Justia Opinion Summary: This appeal centered around the Idaho Department of Water Resources' (“IDWR”) denial of Application 83160, brought by Jeffrey and Chana Duffin (“Duffin”), to transfer the licensed ground water right 35-7667 to a differen...
Date: May 3, 2022
Docket Number: 48773
Justia Opinion Summary: Miguel and Janice Aizpitarte sued their neighbors Michael and Laura Minear to quiet title to what they contended was an established easement for an access driveway, and sought a declaratory judgment to recognize their ri...
Date: April 29, 2022
Docket Number: 49171
Justia Opinion Summary: After a 21-year career as a firefighter with the City of Pocatello, Richard Nelson was diagnosed with leukemia. Nelson brought a workers’ compensation claim against the City. The Industrial Commission determined that the...
Date: April 19, 2022
Docket Number: 47950
Justia Opinion Summary: This appeal stemmed from a family dispute concerning ownership interests in Nelsen Farms, LLC (“LLC”). The LLC, as originally established, included equal ownership for two of the Nelsen’s sons, Jack S. and Jonathan. Howe...
Date: April 6, 2022
Docket Number: 49072
Justia Opinion Summary: Lisa and Mark Weaver married in 2016, and had one minor child, A.W., born January 2017. In November 2020, The parties agreed between themselves to split physical custody of A.W. on a roughly 60/40 basis, with Mark having...
Date: March 24, 2022
Docket Number: 48687
Justia Opinion Summary: The issue this appeal presented for the Idaho Supreme Court's review concerned whether a prescriptive easement existed on a road accessing property owned by Shelley and Roger Cook near the Bingham and Bonneville County l...
Date: March 15, 2022
Docket Number: 48220
Justia Opinion Summary: Curt and Dara Von Lossberg filed this suit against the State of Idaho and the Idaho State Police after their son, Bryan Von Lossberg, ended his life with an unlawfully purchased handgun. The Von Lossbergs alleged that th...
Date: March 15, 2022
Docket Number: 48601
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, Ronald Van Hook was declared a vexatious litigant pursuant to Idaho Court Administrative Rule 59; this declaration was upheld by he Idaho Supreme Court. In 2021, “on behalf of his minor son” G.V.H., Van Hook fil...
Date: March 9, 2022
Docket Number: 48195
Justia Opinion Summary: The case arose when four Micron Technology, Inc. employees filed a class action complaint against Micron in 2019, asserting violations of the Idaho Wage Claim Act. At the time, Micron had in place a compensation plan cal...
Date: March 9, 2022
Docket Number: 48512
Justia Opinion Summary: The issue in this appeal concerned a dispute among stepsiblings over the remnant of their parents’ estates, which consisted of approximately 26 acres of real property in Canyon County, Idaho. Alva and Thelma Garrett marr...
Date: March 3, 2022
Docket Number: 48654
Justia Opinion Summary: This case arose out of a dispute over provisions in a written contract for sewer drainage and treatment services between Groveland Water and Sewer District (“GWSD”) and the City of Blackfoot (“the City”). Individuals liv...
