Bill Description: Senate Bill 1343 would require a justice or judge to serve out his or her full term to be eligible to participate in the part-time Senior Judge program available to retired judges.
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NOTE: Senate Bill 1343 is related to Senate Bill 1324 (2026) in that both bills are intended to address the same issue, but the two bills do so in different ways.
Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?
Senate Bill 1343 would amend Section 1-2401, Idaho Code, which deals with the retirement of justices and judges.
The bill would add new language applicable to state supreme court justices, appeals court judges, and district court judges who file to run for another term of office after July 1, 2026. It would prohibit such justices and judges from being eligible to serve as a part-time senior judge or to receive additional retirement compensation for having served as a senior judge if they retire before the conclusion of their term. Those affected would be required to, upon filing for reelection, acknowledge to the Supreme Court in writing that the candidate is aware of these requirements.
It would not apply to current justices or judges who don’t seek reelection or to a justice or judge who “retires prior to the conclusion of the term of office due to illness or other incapacitation that prevents the justice or judge from performing the duties of office.” It’s unclear how this latter provision would be determined or enforced.
This bill is intended to address the issue of elected justices or judges retiring early, which allows the Governor to appoint their replacements. Due to the high reelection rate for judicial incumbents, this process can have the practical effect of allowing appointees to bypass the heightened scrutiny that typically accompanies an initial run for elected office. It can also allow the Governor to “stack the court” with favored appointees.
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