Idaho Supreme Court chief justice, a Twin Falls native, is set to retire
Idaho Supreme Court Justice G. Richard Bevan has announced his retirement after four decades of legal work in the state.
The 66-year-old Twin Falls native is set to retire Oct. 30. Bevan was appointed to the Idaho Supreme Court in 2017 and was chosen by his peers as chief justice four years later.
“Serving the people of Idaho in the Judicial Branch for nearly 23 years has been one of the great honors of my professional life,” Bevan wrote to Gov. Brad Little in a letter announcing his retirement.
Bevan graduated from BYU with a law degree in 1987 and spent 16 years as a lawyer, including serving as the Twin Falls County prosecutor and president of the Fifth District Bar Association.
In 2003, he was appointed to be a district judge, working eight years as the administrative district judge for courts throughout south-central Idaho.
“Chief Justice Bevan will leave a legacy defined by his deep, abiding commitment to the rule of law and his innate sense of fairness,” said Justice Robyn Brody, vice chief of the court, in a news release. “He has dedicated his career to serving our community with integrity, ensuring that every person is treated with respect and dignity in the courtroom.”
Bevan was the first state judge in Idaho to pilot electronic court records, according to the release. During his time in Twin Falls County, Bevan helped the court become the first in the state to adopt the electronic case management system, which is still used in Idaho today.
According to state law, Gov. Little will appoint Bevan’s replacement from a list of applicants provided by the Idaho Judicial Council. The new justice will serve the remainder of Bevan’s term, which was to end in January 2031.
