Idaho Supreme Court Justice G. Richard Bevan will retire from the Court this October.
His retirement will cap a four-decade legal career culminating in nearly six years leading Idaho’s highest court. The 66-year-old has led treatment courts, was the first state judge in Idaho to pilot electronic court records, and became a significant voice for the security of courtrooms and the safety of those who conduct business in them amid a nationwide increase in threats against judges.
Bevan was born and raised in Twin Falls. He studied at Brigham Young University, where he obtained his law degree in 1987, and returned to Twin Falls to spend 16 years in legal practice. Appointed as a district judge in 2003, he presided over two treatment courts and served for eight years as the administrative district judge, overseeing the operations of courts across south-central Idaho. Twin Falls County was the first to adopt the electronic case management system that Idaho’s state courts use today, and Chief Justice Bevan was the first judge to use it as it rolled out statewide.
His experience led to his appointment to the Idaho Supreme Court in 2017. Four years later, his fellow justices chose him to lead the Court as chief justice. He has remained in that role ever since and plans to do so until he retires Oct. 30.
Under state law, Gov. Brad Little will appoint a justice to succeed Bevan from a list of applicants provided by the Idaho Judicial Council. The new justice will serve the rest of Justice Bevan’s term, which ends in January 2031. A nonpartisan election for the next six-year term will be held in May 2030.
The justices of the Supreme Court will choose the next chief justice from among themselves as provided for by Idaho’s Constitution.
