Officials say judge candidate didn’t practice law

A Coeur d’Alene attorney hoping to unseat First District Judge John Mitchell says on her Web site she has practiced law for a decade – the minimum requirement for a district judge.

But officials in Ohio – where Rami Amaro says she began her career – said Monday that she has never been an active member of the Ohio State Bar or practiced law there.

Amaro, 37, issued a written statement Monday saying she believed Mitchell was trying to “use a technicality” to remove her from the judge race.

“I have made no attempt to remove her from the race,” Mitchell said in response to Amaro’s statement. “Period.”

Reached at her Coeur d’Alene office, Amaro said she would call back within a few minutes. Her assistant later called and said Amaro would fax a written statement to the newspaper.

He said Amaro “was coming to the fight with bells on.”

In the faxed statement, Amaro said she “unequivocally” met the requirements for candidacy.

10 years of experience required

Idaho law says a candidate for district judge “shall have been admitted to the practice of law for at least 10 years prior to taking office.” The law doesn’t specify whether inactive periods of bar membership during an attorney’s career would count toward that 10-year minimum.

In her written statement, Amaro said she had cancer during the time she was on inactive status in Ohio and “could not practice full-time.”

“I was, however, still admitted,” Amaro said, “but simply on inactive status.”

According to the Supreme Court of Ohio, “inactive attorneys may not practice law in Ohio or hold themselves out as authorized to practice law in Ohio.”

Amaro was admitted to the Ohio bar on Nov. 12, 1996, according to the Attorney Registration Section of the Supreme Court of Ohio. Amaro said she will take office in January if elected district judge and, by then, 10 years will have passed since she was first admitted as an attorney.

On her election Web site, www.amaroforjudge.com, Amaro repeatedly says she has 10 years experience. The site says Amaro had a private practice in Ohio from 1996 to 1998 where she was the “solo practitioner.” However, after Amaro was contacted by a reporter Monday afternoon, that information was removed from her Web site.

She was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in 1998.

According to the Idaho secretary of state’s office, Amaro signed a declaration of candidacy form saying she met the legal requirements for district judge.

“If they’ve signed it, saying they’re qualified, that’s what we take unless someone challenges that,” said Marilyn Johnson, a secretary with the Idaho secretary of state’s elections office.

Johnson said no one has challenged Amaro’s eligibility.

In her written statement, Amaro said she had consulted with the secretary of state’s office and she felt she met the requirements.

“If my opponent does not agree with the secretary of state’s final opinion, he must sue me in the local district court in his attempt to remove me from this race,” Amaro wrote. “This is a waste of our community’s time and resources, and does not constitute judicial economy.”