Kootenai County magistrate named district court judge

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter today announced the appointment of Kootenai County Magistrate Benjamin Simpson to succeed 1st District Judge Charles Hosack, who is retiring at the end of the year. Simpson, 60, is a Colorado native and U.S. Navy veteran who received his bachelor’s degree from California State University in Chico and his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane. Simpson was an associate and then a partner in a Wallace-based law firm for 15 years before becoming a magistrate judge in January 2000. He lives in Coeur d’Alene with his wife, Jonelle. “Judge Simpson has big shoes to fill, but I’m confident that his experience, knowledge and talent will enable him to ably serve the people of Idaho’s First Judicial District,” Otter said in a press release.