Court Structure

Court Structure - Case Flow, Etc.

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the state’s top appellate court. There are five (5) justices, including the Chief Justice that sit on this court and hear cases. The justices are elected to six year terms, which are staggered for election purposes.

Appeals from the District Court go directly to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case or to assign it to the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court must hear Capital murder convictions and appeals from the Public Utilities Commission or Industrial Commission. The Supreme Court also hears disciplinary actions involving attorneys, and writs (a legal order to do or not do something) when filed directly with the Supreme Court.

Cited decisions of the Supreme Court are published in the Idaho Reporter and in the Pacific Reporter.

The Court of Appeals

This intermediate appellate court hears cases assigned to it by the Supreme Court. There are three (3) judges, including the Chief Judge, that sit on this court and hear cases. These judges are elected to six year terms, which are staggered for election purposes.

Cited decisions of the Court of Appeals are published in the Idaho Reporter and in the Pacific Reporter.

District Courts

There are seven judicial districts in Idaho. Each district covers multiple counties. Each county has a District Court, with one or more judges assigned to hear cases in that court. District judges are elected to four year terms. There are 39 District Judges in Idaho. Each District Judge employs a court reporter who is responsible for capturing the record of proceedings in that judge’s court.

District courts hear felony criminal cases, civil actions if the amount involved is more than $10,000, and appeals of decisions of the Magistrate division.

Appeals from the District Court go to the Supreme Court for assignment to the Court of Appeals or for hearing by the Supreme Court.

Magistrate Division

This is a division of the District Court. The court’s jurisdiction, or authority to decide a case, is limited, where the District Court’s jurisdiction is general. Idaho statutes assign various matters to magistrate courts, including: probate matters; divorce proceedings; juvenile proceedings; initial felony proceedings through the preliminary hearing; criminal misdemeanors; infractions; civil cases when the amount does not exceed $10,000; and cases in Small Claims Court, which was established for cases with disputes of $4000 or less.

Appeals from the magistrate division go to the District Court.

Idaho Criminal Proceedings

When a person is charged with a crime, they go through criminal proceedings. Idaho has two basic types of crimes: misdemeanors and felonies. Infractions are not crimes and follow a different procedure.

Criminal cases are follow procedures set out in the criminal rules. Idaho has the Idaho Criminal Rules, Idaho Misdemeanor Criminal Rules, Idaho Infraction Rules, and for cases dealing with juveniles there are the Idaho Juvenile Rules; these rules govern the procedures, while the Idaho Rules of Evidence generally control questions of evidence.

A criminal case generally proceed as follows:

Pre-trial stage:

Police investigation
Filing of the Complaint

Washington

The Supreme Court
The Court of Appeals
The Superior Courts
The District Courts
Municipal Courts

Nez Perce Tribe:

Nez Perce Court of Appeals
Tribal Court

Federal

The Supreme Court
The Circuit Courts of Appeal
The District Courts
The Magistrate Courts