Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, testifies before the House Judiciary Rules & Administration Committee on Feb. 27, 2025 about HB 322. Watch the House and Senate hearings for the bill in the video above. | Courtesy Idaho Legislature

BOISE – A bill aimed at increasing salaries for Idaho judges passed the 2025 Legislature.

HB 322 was signed into law by Gov. Brad Little on March 28 after passing the House and the Senate. It passed the House on March 3 with 57 in favor, 13 opposed. The Senate voted in favor of the bill on March 21, with 26 in favor and eight opposed.

The bill increased yearly salaries for magistrate, district, appellate and supreme court judges by $17,000. That amount represents a minimum 10% salary increase for judges at all levels in Idaho. Beginning July 1, annual salaries for magistrate judges in Idaho, according to the bill’s statement of purpose, will be $164,508. District judge salaries will increase to $172,508. Idaho appellate judges will make $178,508 a year and state supreme court justices will make $186,508.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa — who is an attorney by profession — co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello — who owns a law firm in Pocatello. Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa — who is also an attorney — was the bill’s third sponsor.

Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, a private practice attorney, worked behind the scenes to introduce the legislation. He tells EastIdahoNews.com he’s pleased to see the bill become law.

“It wasn’t as much as we wanted, but it was a solid increase,” Ruchti says.

RELATED | Local lawmaker working on bill aimed at raising salaries for Idaho judges

During a press conference in January, Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan called upon the legislature to raise salaries for judges statewide. The original amount he was proposing was an increase from $169,508 to $215,000 for supreme court justices, and an increase in district judge’s annual salaries from $155,508 to $201,000.

Ruchti says the $17,000 increase was an amount reached through compromise.

“The amount (the supreme court) had recommended was just too much to get the legislature to agree to it,” Ruchti explains. “They picked a number that was a significant increase, but not everything we wanted.”

Skaug and the other sponsors of the bill are planning to revisit the legislation during the 2026 Legislative session to try and increase salaries again.

A decreasing number of judge applicants in recent years was the driving force behind the legislation, along with dwindling retention for those positions. The goal of the bill was to make salaries more competitive in hopes of recruiting and retaining candidates.

Data about judicial compensation shows Idaho currently ranks near the bottom nationwide. The new law will make Idaho more competitive with neighboring states.

“I’m really pleased we were able to do something this year for our judges,” Ruchti says. “If we don’t increase their compensation, we’re going to lose more and more judges and we’re going to have a tougher time recruiting judges to apply.”

In January, Ruchti noted the judicial system affects every aspect of residents’ lives and the system falls apart without quality judges.

“It’s a tough job and you don’t want just anybody sitting in that seat,” he said.

The total annual fiscal impact for this increase in salary and associated benefits, according to the bill’s statement of purpose, is more than $3.8 million. It will come from the state general fund.

Watch the House and Senate hearings for the bill in the video above.

A federal magistrate judge is expected to hear arguments Tuesday morning in a lawsuit brought by three news organizations that say Idaho prison officials are unconstitutionally hiding parts of lethal injection executions from public view.

The Associated Press, East Idaho News and The Idaho Statesman filed the lawsuit against the director of the Idaho Department of Correction in December. They are asking U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham to temporarily stop the state from restricting media witnesses from viewing the actual injection of lethal chemicals in any executions that may occur before the lawsuit is resolved.

Prison officials say there are important safety and security reasons for keeping some details secret, like the source and type of lethal injection drugs and the identities of execution team members.

Former Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt and other prison officials have told lawmakers in the past that anything threatening the confidentiality of execution team members or the source of the state’s execution drugs could put Idaho’s ability to carry out capital punishment at risk, in part because it would be difficult to find qualified volunteers willing to put someone to death.

But the news organizations contend the public has a First Amendment right to witness the entire execution process, including when execution team members push the lethal injection medications into the IV lines connected to a condemned person. Idaho’s prison officials have kept that part of the execution concealed behind screens or walls in each of the three executions completed in the last 50 years.

Media witnesses can already see other execution team members, though their identities are concealed by medical masks and head coverings.

Idaho has attempted four lethal injection executions since the 1970s. Three of them were completed, but the most recent attempt, involving Thomas Eugene Creech, was aborted last year after execution team members were unable to successfully establish an IV line after eight attempts in Creech’s arms and legs.

Lawmakers passed a new law this year that will make firing squads the state’s primary method of execution, starting next year.

At the last remaining video store in Pocatello, Idaho, the curtains have closed after more than 30 years, but owner David Kraning found a way to keep a crucial service going for his most loyal customer.

Christina Cavanaugh, who has Down syndrome and is mostly non-verbal, has rented a movie from The Video Stop every day for the past 20 years, often the same titles at the same time each afternoon.

“She doesn’t ask for very much, she asks for very little, so when she does express herself, I try and accommodate her,” said Toni Cavanaugh, Christina’s mother.

Though Christina’s family owns most of the movies she rents, the routine of visiting the store and checking out films is essential to her well-being.

“She’ll only watch them if they’re from the video store,” Toni explained with a laugh. “I think it’s comforting.”

When financial realities forced Kraning to close The Video Stop, he faced a dilemma about how to break the news to Christina.

“Last year, just looking at the financials, it wasn’t sustainable to try and keep the video store going,” Kraning said. “This was one of my first jobs and I remember back in high school, her bringing her daughter in, getting the movies.”

Instead of simply shutting down, Kraning, who also owns the convenience store next door, created “Christina’s Corner” — a special section with shelving and a display of DVDs designed to look like the video store experience she was accustomed to.

“That somebody would do something so kind, for her specifically like that — he wasn’t thinking about anything else except her. That’s huge,” said Toni.

Christina still arrives around 3:30 p.m. daily, selects a movie from Christina’s Corner, and checks it out herself at the register. Before leaving, she gives a gesture that powerfully communicates her gratitude.

Toni says Pocatello has been the ideal community for raising Christina. 

“The people here treat her like family — especially Dave and his team, who continue to prioritize her needs despite business challenges,” she said.

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