Verby transitions as judge

SANDPOINT — Don’t call it a retirement.

First District Judge Steve Verby announced Aug. 27 that he plans to segue into a new role on the bench.

“After making decisions in thousands of cases, I have chosen to become a senior judge and transition to a smaller workload,” Verby said in a statement announcing the transition.

As a result, Verby’s role as the district judge assigned to handle primarily Bonner and Boundary county cases will cease on Jan. 18, 2013.

Verby, 62, said the Idaho Supreme Court recently approved his transition to senior status and opted to make the announcement now because the process of selecting a new judge is time-consuming.

The Idaho Judicial Council will announce the vacancy and solicit applications for attorneys who are interested in the post.

After receiving the applications, the council will circulate a questionnaire to the Idaho State Bar via email concerning the qualifications of the applicants.

Any attorney in Idaho with at least 10 years of experience practicing the law is eligible. The judicial council also checks to see if any bar complaints have been filed against any of the applicants.

Applicants are then interviewed by council members and a short-list of candidates for the post is a developed and forwarded to the governor’s office for final selection.

This selection process is being utilized because Verby’s position is not part of the current election cycle.

Verby said a new 1st District judge for Bonner and Boundary counties could be selected by the end of the year.

“I am definitely not ‘retiring’ and look forward to continuing to work for the citizens of the state of Idaho as a senior judge. In addition, I will serve as a mediator in both civil and criminal cases, as well as an arbitrator in private matters,” he said in the statement.

Verby was elected in 2002, following a three-way race that included Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas and Sandpoint attorney Brent Featherston.

Verby’s investiture occurred in January 2003.

The first judicial district currently handles about 800-900 cases a year, according to Verby, who as of July had resolved 467 of them.

The caseload has required a judge from another district to handle some of the cases.

“As a senior judge, I will become the solution to the caseload crush that exists in this position,” Verby said on Monday.

Verby counts seeing drug-addled defendants turn their battleship around in Bonner County’s drug court program and go on to lead productive lives as some of his most rewarding moments on the bench. He’ll also miss seeing well-prepared lawyers make solid cases in civil proceedings.

“I really enjoyed watching good lawyers at work which has resulted in the appropriate verdict being reached,” he said.

One thing he won’t miss:

“Seeing a miscarriage of justice based upon a lack of preparation,” said Verby.