Idaho judicial elections, 2014

Overview
Total candidates:  | 92
Primary candidates:  | 54
General election candidates:  | 43
Incumbency
Incumbents:  | 79
Incumbent success rate:  | 100%
Competition - general election
Percent of candidates in contested races:  | 9%
Percent uncontested:  | 2%
Percent retention:  | 89%

2015 →

<- 2013

Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2014
Judicial election dates
Candidates by state
Supreme court elections

## Contents

* 1 Election dates
* 2 Runoff elections
* 3 Retentions
* 3.1 Trial courts
* 4 Election results: May 20
* 5 Process
* 5.1 Nonpartisan election
* 5.2 Retention
* 5.3 Fees
* 6 Noteworthy events
* 6.1 Idaho primary results are in now
* 6.2 Idaho judicial primary races to watch
* 6.3 Conflict in Idaho Supreme Court race
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

The Idaho judicial elections in 2014 featured one contested supreme court race, as well as seven contested races for the district courts--only two of which advanced to a runoff in November. Retention elections for the state's magistrates also occurred in November. Thirty-eight magistrate court judges were successfully retained with an average retention rate of 83.0%.

See: Idaho elections summary, 2014.

### Election dates[edit]

* March 14: Filing deadline
* May 20: Election
* November 4: Retention elections and runoffs[1][2]

In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work, as well as articles about noteworthy news in races across the state.

Want to learn more about the biggest judicial election in Idaho in 2014? Check out the Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2014 page for an in-depth exploration of the candidates, issues, politics and news surrounding the state's high court race.

## Runoff elections[edit]

(I) denotes incumbent

4th District Court, Wetherell seat

* Rebecca W. Arnold, 47.2%A
* Samuel A. Hoagland, 52.8%A

7th District Court, Shindurling seat

* Bruce L. Pickett, 59.3%A
* Steven H. Thompson, 40.7%A

## Retentions[edit]

The following judges faced a retention election in order to keep their seat. In such elections, the incumbent judge is not being evaluated against an opponent. Rather, he or she simply receives votes of "yes" to retain or "no", do not retain.

### Trial courts

Court| Judge| Votes

|
|

Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Blaine Cannon| 85.8%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Calvin Campbell (Idaho)| 87.7%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Carolyn Minder| 78.7%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Casey U. Robinson| 86.1%A
Idaho First Judicial District| Daniel J. McGee| 84.0%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Daniel Steckel| 77.8%A
Idaho First Judicial District| Debra A. Heise| 83.5%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District| Debra A. Orr| 80.3%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District| F. Randall Kline| 80.3%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District| Gary D. DeMeyer| 79.6%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District| Gil Gardner| 83.9%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| James Cawthon| 77.8%A
Idaho First Judicial District| James D. Stow| 84.5%A
Idaho 3rd Judicial District| Jayme Beaber Sullivan| 80.7%A
Idaho 2nd Judicial District| Jeff P. Payne| 81.5%A
Idaho 2nd Judicial District| John Judge| 89.6%A
Idaho First Judicial District| Justin Julian| 78%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Kevin Swain| 77.6%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District| L. Mark Riddoch| 83.9%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Lamont Berecz| 83.7%A
Idaho First Judicial District| Lori T. Meulenberg| 85.1%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Lynnette McHenry| 78.9%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Mark A. Ingram| 88.9%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District| Mark S. Rammell| 87.2%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Michael Reardon| 78.3%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District| Michelle Mallard| 84.7%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Mick Hodges| 70.8%A
Idaho 2nd Judicial District| Randall W. Robinson| 84.4%A
Idaho 6th Judicial District| Rick Carnaroli| 87%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Rick L. Bollar| 87.1%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District| Robert Crowley (Idaho)| 82%A
Idaho First Judicial District| Robert James Caldwell| 85.3%A
Idaho 4th Judicial District| Roger Cockerille| 76.7%A
Idaho 6th Judicial District| Scott E. Axline| 86%A
Idaho 7th Judicial District| Scott H. Hansen| 86%A
Idaho First Judicial District| Scott Wayman| 84.8%A
Idaho 6th Judicial District| Steven A. Thomsen| 86.3%A
Idaho 5th Judicial District| Thomas D. Kershaw, Jr.| 88.1%A

## Election results: May 20[edit]

Most races were decided during the state's primary election, as races only advanced to the November election if no candidate received a majority of the votes in the primary.

Court| Candidate| Incumbency| Primary Vote

|
|
|

Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Seventh Judicial District| Andre Linchenko Lawson | No| 26.3%A
First Judicial District| Barbara A. BuchananA| Yes| 100%A
First Judicial District| Benjamin R. SimpsonA| Yes| 100%A
Third Judicial District| Bradly S. FordA| Yes| 100%A
Seventh Judicial District| Bruce L. Pickett | No| 49.0%A
Fourth Judicial District| Cheri CopseyA| Yes| 100%A
Seventh Judicial District| Dane Hansen Watkins, Jr.A| Yes| 100%A
Seventh Judicial District| Darren B. SimpsonA| Yes| 73.7%A
Sixth Judicial District| David C. NyeA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Deborah BailA| Yes| 100%A
Fifth Judicial District| Eric WildmanA| Yes| 100%A
First Judicial District| Fred GiblerA| Yes| 100%A
Fifth Judicial District| G. Richard BevanA| Yes| 100%A
Third Judicial District| George A. SouthworthA| Yes| 100%A
Seventh Judicial District| Gregory W. MoellerA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Jeanne M. Howe | No| 15.1%A
Second Judicial District| Jeff BrudieA| Yes| 56.6%A
Seventh Judicial District| Joel E. TingeyA| Yes| 64.0%A
Idaho Supreme Court| Joel HortonA| Yes| 65.8%A
Second Judicial District| John H. Bradbury | No| 43.4%A
Fifth Judicial District| John K. ButlerA| Yes| 100%A
First Judicial District| John Mitchell (Idaho)A| Yes| 100%A
Second Judicial District| John R. StegnerA| Yes| 100%A
Fifth Judicial District| Jon P. BrodyA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Jonathan Medema | No| 18.8%A
Third Judicial District| Juneal C. KerrickA| Yes| 100%A
First Judicial District| Lansing L. HaynesA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Les Bock | No| 44.2%A
Sixth Judicial District| Lynn Brower | No| 45.1%A
Fourth Judicial District| Lynn Graham NortonA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Melissa MoodyA| Yes| 100%A
Second Judicial District| Michael J. GriffinA| Yes| 100%A
Fifth Judicial District| Michael R. CrabtreeA| Yes| 100%A
Sixth Judicial District| Mitchell W. BrownA| Yes| 100%A
Third Judicial District| Molly HuskeyA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Patrick OwenA| Yes| 100%A
Fifth Judicial District| Randy J. StokerA| Yes| 100%A
7th Judicial District| Randy Neal | No| 36.0%
Fourth Judicial District| Rebecca W. Arnold | No| 34.3%A
Fourth Judicial District| Richard Greenwood (Idaho)A| Yes| 55.8%A
First Judicial District| Richard S. ChristensenA| Yes| 100%A
Sixth Judicial District| Robert C. NaftzA| Yes| 54.9%A
Fifth Judicial District| Robert ElgeeA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Samuel A. Hoagland | No| 31.8%A
Seventh Judicial District| Scott J. Davis | No| 22.4%A
Idaho Supreme Court| Sergio GutierrezA| Yes| 100%A
Sixth Judicial District| Stephen S. DunnA| Yes| 100%A
Seventh Judicial District| Steven H. Thompson | No| 28.6%A
Third Judicial District| Susan WiebeA| Yes| 100%A
Third Judicial District| Thomas J. RyanA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Thomas NevilleA| Yes| 100%A
Fourth Judicial District| Timothy HansenA| Yes| 100%A
Idaho Supreme Court| Warren E. JonesA| Yes| 100%A
Idaho Supreme Court| William "Breck" Seiniger | No| 34.2%A

## Process[edit]

### Nonpartisan election[edit]

Supreme court, court of appeals and district court races are decided during the state's primary election. However, if no candidate in a judicial race receives over 50 percent of the votes in the primary, the two candidates who received the greatest number of votes advance to the general election, which functions as a sort of judicial runoff election.[3]

If a race advances to the general election, but one of the candidates leaves the race before that time, the candidate who received the next highest number of votes in the primary takes their spot on the general election ballot. In such a situation, if there is a tie for third place in the primary, the candidate to advance to the general election is chosen by lot by the secretary of state.[4]

Note: In May 2012, the Idaho Republican Party switched to a closed primary system, which required voters to identify as Republicans before voting. To read more about this, see: Some Idaho voters avoid closed primary, May 17, 2012.

### Retention[edit]

Magistrates stand for retention in the general election, which is held in November. Judges file for retention in August. Specifically, they must file their declaration of candidacy no less than 90 days prior to the election.

The ballot includes the following language for such elections: "Shall Magistrate __ of __ County of the __ Judicial District be retained in office?" The voter may then choose to answer either "Yes" or "No". The magistrate must receive a majority of "yes" votes to be retained to a new term.[5]

### Fees[edit]

The filing fee for supreme court and court of appeals candidates is $300. Candidates for the district courts must pay $150. Alternately, candidates may collect signatures in order to waive the filing fee. Supreme court and court of appeals candidates are required to collect 1,000 signatures and district court candidates are required to collect 200 (as of 2014).[6][7][8][9]

## Noteworthy events[edit]

The following articles were current as of the dates listed.

### Idaho primary results are in now

May 29, 2014| Click for story→

|

See also: JP Election Brief: Primary season in high gear--what you may have missed and upcoming races to watch

Idaho's May 20 judicial primary saw eight contested judicial races in the state in 2014, with six of these decided in the primary. In Idaho, if a supreme court, court of appeals or district court candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, that candidate automatically wins the election. If no primary candidate receives over half of the votes, then the two candidates who received the most votes progress to the general election. The general election in this case functions similarly to a runoff election.[10]

Incumbent Joel Horton defeated challenger William Seiniger for re-election to the Idaho Supreme Court. Horton garnered 65.8 percent of the votes, to Steiniger's 34.2 percent.[11] In the Fourth Judicial District, incumbent Richard Greenwood defeated challenger Les Bock in a race by 55.8 percent to 44.2 percent. In the Second Judicial District, incumbent Jeff Brudie won over John H. Bradbury, 56.6 percent to 43.4 percent.[11]

In the Seventh Judicial District race, incumbent Darren B. Simpson received 73.7 percent of the votes to keep his seat over challenger Andre Linchenko Lawson, who received 26.3 percent. Joel E. Tingey kept his seat by defeating challenger Randy Neal, 64.0 percent to 36.0 percent. In the Sixth Judicial District race, incumbent Robert C. Naftz received 54.9 percent of the votes to defeat challenger Lynn Brower. Brower received 45.1 percent of the votes.[11]

Idaho's November 4 general election included just two contested judicial races. In the Seventh Judicial District, Steven H. Thompson faced Bruce L. Pickett to compete for the Shindurling seat. In the primary, Thompson received 28.6 percent of the votes, Pickett received 49.0 percent and Scott J. Davis received 22.4 percent. Davis was eliminated and did not advance to the general election. The other contested race took place in the Fourth Judicial District. The primary was a four-way face off between Jeanne M. Howe, Jonathan Medema, Samuel A. Hoagland and Rebecca W. Arnold. Howe and Medema did not advance to the general election, receiving 15.1 percent and 18.8 percent of the votes, respectively. Hoagland and Arnold ran on November 4 for the Wetherell seat. Both candidates earned a similar number of votes in the primary; Hoagland received 31.8 percent of the primary vote and Arnold received 34.3 percent.[11]

### Idaho judicial primary races to watch

May 15, 2014| Click for story→

|

See also: JP Election Brief: Candidate attacks

The primary election on May 20 brought an end to most of the state's contested judicial races. Candidates who received over 50 percent of the nonpartisan primary votes were declared the automatic winners, without having to run in the general election.[12]

The state supreme court race featured incumbent Joel Horton and challenger William Seiniger. Horton, who was appointed in 2007 and elected in 2008, was seeking his second full term on the court. Horton had reported over $69,000 in campaign contributions by mid-May. Attorney Seiniger had no officially reported contributions.[13]

The primary also included several contested trial court races. Some contests included no incumbent candidate. There was one such race in the 4th District and another in the 7th District. The candidates for those races were:

4th District \- Wetherell seat

* Samuel A. Hoagland
* Rebecca W. Arnold
* Jonathan Medema
* Jeanne M. Howe

7th District \- Shindurling seat

* Steven H. Thompson
* Bruce L. Pickett
* Scott J. Davis

A number of district court judges faced challengers in their bids for re-election, including:

* 2nd District: Jeff Brudie (incumbent) vs. John H. Bradbury
* 4th District: Richard Greenwood (incumbent) vs. Les Bock
* 6th District: Robert C. Naftz (incumbent) vs. Lynn Brower
* 7th District:

* Darren B. Simpson (incumbent) vs. Andre Linchenko Lawson
* Joel E. Tingey (incumbent) vs. Randy Neal

### Conflict in Idaho Supreme Court race

April 24, 2014| Click for story→

|

See also: JP Election Brief: Primary match-ups across the nation

Running for re-election to the Idaho Supreme Court this year was Joel Horton—a man who won the seat in 2008 by a margin of 0.02 percent.[14] His competitor, Boise attorney Breck Seiniger, published a write-up on his website criticizing Horton's conduct in a prior case.[15]

The article, describing an incident that took place during the 2008 election season, raised concerns about Horton’s impartiality in a 2008 case involving J.R. Simplot Company when the food corporation was caught in a lawsuit with Idaho farmers:[14]

| “  | During [Horton's re-election campaign], the Idaho Supreme Court deliberated on an appeal filed by J.R. Simplot to overturn a jury’s $2,435,906 verdict against the corporation in favor of a group of Idaho farmers. It just so happens that the treasurer for Horton’s re-election campaign was, at the same time, in-house counsel for J.R. Simplot.

… Our justice system only succeeds when people have full confidence in the impartiality and fairness of the judges. By participating in the deliberations on this case AND writing the majority decision, Horton gave the appearance that the integrity of the Idaho Supreme Court was severely compromised.

Justices are expected to identify any conflict of interest—or the appearance of any conflict of interest—that may cause them to be biased—or appear biased—while deciding a case and voluntarily recuse themselves from the case in order to prevent a biased ruling from being handed down.[sic] [16]

| ”

|
|

—Breck Seiniger

[14]

Beneath the write-up, Seiniger supplied readers with documents noting the appointment of Horton's treasurer, Horton's declaration of candidacy, a Martindale.com listing of the treasurer's affiliation with Simplot and more.[14]

In an interview, Horton denied that his tie to the agribusiness leveraged him campaign support or influenced the lawsuit's outcome. He stated that his challenger was looking to "distinguish himself" and had "taken a few things out of context that represent a flat misunderstanding of how the court works.”[17]

Horton said he agreed with Seiniger that judges ought not allow outside influences to sway their rulings:[15][17]

“  | I don’t think the justices of the Supreme Court ought to be representing anybody. Our job is to try to get the law right. The five of us have worked hard to get the law right, not to decide cases on who we think ought to win, but on the basis of the law.

[16]

| ”

|
|

—Joel Horton

[17]

## See also[edit]

* Idaho judicial elections
* Judicial selection in Idaho

## External links[edit]

* Idaho Secretary of State, "Elections"

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "2014 Idaho Primary and General Election Calendar"
2. ↑ Idaho Votes, "On the Ballot in 2014 for Voters," accessed March 31, 2014
3. ↑ Idaho Statutes, "Title 34. Elections, Chapter 12, 34-1217," accessed April 28, 2014
4. ↑ Idaho Statutes, "Title 34. Elections, Chapter 12, 34-716," accessed April 28, 2014
5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `magistrate`
6. ↑ Idaho Statutes, "Title 34. Elections, Chapter 6, 34-615," accessed April 28, 2014
7. ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "2014 Guidelines for Filing for the Office of Supreme Court Justice or Court of Appeals Judge," accessed April 28, 2014
8. ↑ Idaho Statutes, "Title 34. Elections, Chapter 6, 34-616," accessed April 28, 2014
9. ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "2014 Guidelines for Filing for the Office of District Judge," accessed April 28, 2014
10. ↑ See: Idaho judicial elections
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Idaho Secretary of State, "Unofficial Primary Election Results - Statewide," May 21, 2014
12. ↑ See: Idaho judicial elections
13. ↑ See: Idaho Supreme Court elections, 2014
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Breck Seiniger Campaign Website, "Joel Horton and the appearance of impropriety," accessed April 23, 2014
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `idpress`
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Idaho Mountain Express, "Campaigning justice visits valley," April 23, 2014

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Judicial elections, 2014

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Idaho courts

* * *

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State resources:

Courts in Idaho • Idaho judicial elections • Judicial selection in Idaho