Buchanan appointed 1st District judge
Bonner County Magistrate Judge Barbara Buchanan has been appointed a district judge by Gov. Butch Otter, making her the first woman to be appointed to the 1st Judicial District bench. Buchanan, a Sandpoint resident and Moscow native, will be the only district judge serving Bonner and Boundary counties; she replaces Judge Steve Verby, who is moving to senior status. “The Idaho court system is in a period of change," Buchanan said in a statement. "We are embarking on an innovative new program to deliver justice more quickly, efficiently and effectivel.I am excited to be part of that process.”
She has served as a magistrate judge for 18 years and holds law and bachelor's degrees from the University of Idaho; click below for Otter's full announcement.
C.L. “Butch” Otter
GOVERNOR
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 16, 2013
GOVERNOR APPOINTS BARBARA BUCHANAN TO FIRST DISTRICT COURT
(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of Bonner County Magistrate Barbara Buchanan to succeed First District Judge Steve Verby.
Judge Verby is transitioning to senior status on the district bench this month.
Buchanan, 54, of Sandpoint, is the first woman appointed to a judgeship in the First Judicial District. She was among four nominees whose names were submitted to Governor Otter by the Idaho Judicial Council.
Buchanan, who has served 18 years as a magistrate, is a Moscow native who received her bachelor’s and law degrees at the University of Idaho. She and her husband Richard have two daughters and a foster daughter.
Judge Buchanan said she looks forward to serving as the only district judge for Bonner and Boundary counties.
“The Idaho court system is in a period of change. We are embarking on an innovative new program to deliver justice more quickly, efficiently and effectively,” she said in applying for the position. “I am excited to be part of that process.”
