Former Idaho state Senator Curt McKenzie has withdrawn his name from consideration for an opening on the Idaho Supreme Court.
Last fall, McKenzie drew 46 percent of the vote but lost to Robyn Brody for an open seat on the High Court. However, he says he didn’t feel the timing was right to be on the list of candidates to replace retiring Justice Daniel Eismann, who announced in April that he’d step down in August after serving on the high court since 2001.
Despite McKenzie’s withdrawal, there still are more than a dozen hopefuls who interview this week with the Idaho Judicial Council for the Supreme Court justice position. They include six sitting district judges, one Idaho Court of Appeals judge, and six attorneys from around the state. Two of the applicants are from North Idaho – 2nd District Judge John Stegner of Moscow, and St. Maries attorney Andrew Doman.
Interviews take place Tuesday and Wednesday in the Idaho Supreme Court’s courtroom and are open to the public. Following interviews and surveys of state attorneys, the Idaho Judicial Council will recommend a short list of finalists to Governor Butch Otter, who will make the appointment.
The new justice will take office in August, and then be up for election in next May’s primary for a full six-year term. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, the position would go to a runoff in the November 2018 general election. (AP)
