Administration

Managing Idaho’s Courts

Idaho has a unified state court system. This means that all state courts – those operating in local courthouses across the 44 counties – follow the same rules and are managed as one consistent system of courts. The Idaho Supreme Court administers and supervises this court system as it is directed to by Idaho’s Constitution.

In addition to its duties deciding appeals, the Idaho Supreme Court sets the rules by which courts operate, oversees court processes, provides technology used by local courts, and manages state-level funding for court operations. The chief justice essentially acts as the court system’s top executive.

The Supreme Court is helped in this work by other administrative organizations within the Judicial Branch. 

The Office of the Administrative Director of the Courts is based at the Supreme Court building in Boise. It is a service organization centered on supporting court operations and related needs — examples include the electronic case management system, court policy manuals, state finances, and standards for Idaho’s nationally recognized treatment courts. The organization is overseen by an administrative director of courts who has specific duties outlined in Idaho law.

The Idaho court system is also divided into seven judicial districts, each with its own administrative district judge and a trial court administrator. These officials put the policies developed by the Supreme Court into practice and otherwise work to ensure courts operate smoothly within their districts.

Finally, an Administrative Conference made up of court leadership from across the district and state levels advises the Supreme Court on policies, resources and needs throughout the court system. A series of formal committees created by the Supreme Court also provide recommendations on specific topics as needed.

Courts in Idaho are a partnership between the state and county governments. The Judicial Branch organizations described here work closely with county leaders, particularly county clerks, to administer the courts.