Otter appoints Medema a 4th District judge

Jonathan Medema, a deputy Ada County prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully for judge last year, has been appointed a 4 ^th District judge by Gov. Butch Otter; Medema was appointed to the post that opened with the retirement of 4 ^th District Judge Thomas Neville.

Medema has been with the prosecutor’s office since 1997; he first moved to Idaho in 1992 to work as an engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory. In addition to a law degree, he holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

Otter said, “The Idaho Judicial Council sent me a superb slate of candidates for this position. But Jonathan’s keen understanding of the changing dynamics of our judicial system was most impressive.” Eleven attorneys applied for the judgeship; three were recommended to the governor by the Idaho Judicial Council: Medema; Anthony R. Geddes, a public defender for Ada County; and Davis F. Vandervelde, a Nampa attorney. Rebecca Arnold, who outpolled Medema in last year’s election but lost a runoff to current Judge Sam Hoagland, was among the 11 applicants, but wasn’t among the three recommended by the council.