Revisiting Judicial Elections

Daily Digest 4/16/26

Last fall I wrote about how elections for Idaho Supreme Court justices are almost always a fait accompli, since nearly every sitting justice who has served during the past half century was appointed by the governor and won reelection without opposition. Aside from Justice Robyn Brody, who won election to an open seat in 2016, none of the current justices have faced competition on the ballot.

Justices typically retire partway through their term, at which point the governor appoints a replacement from a list supplied by the Idaho Judicial Council. This week, Chief Justice Richard Bevan announced he would retire later this year, which gives us a great opportunity to discuss and debate the current system:

Perhaps Chief Justice Bevan’s impending retirement will attract enough public attention to motivate lawmakers to seriously tackle this issue in 2027. I’m not sure what the ideal solution is, but let’s start the debate now and work toward a system that makes our judicial branch accountable to the people while preserving the highest standards for those entrusted with these decisions.

Attorney General Labrador calls out false advertising

Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a press release today calling out deceptive campaign mailers from a group calling itself Idaho Values First:

“Idahoans are being deliberately misled.

“A political organization calling itself ‘Idaho Values First’ is running ads that falsely claim certain legislators voted against funding for my office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. That claim is misleading and flatly untrue.

“The ads refer to an across-the-board 5% budget cut that affected every state agency, not a targeted vote against my office or ICAC. HB971 was the budget enhancement bill that partially restored my office’s funding, including all resources that support the ICAC Unit. The legislators these ads attack voted for the enhancement bill.

“These ads are attempting to manipulate voters, not inform them. If it were about accountability, the legislators who voted against HB971 would be targeted by these ads, yet they are not.

Senator Risch lauds tax cuts

Sen. Jim Risch posted a short opinion piece lauding Republican-led tax cuts:

This Tax Day, Idahoans can expect to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.

I was proud to help my Republican colleagues pass the Working Families Tax Cuts Act last year.

This legislation delivered the largest-ever tax cut to working-class households in U.S. history and will save the average Idahoan $3,517 in federal taxes this year.

Primary Pulse

Remember to bookmark Primary Pulse, your one-stop shop for information about Republican candidates for the Legislature. The real election is in May, and your vote needs to count!

Thanks as always to sponsors New Saint Andrews College, Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!