Idaho federal court judge to take senior status

BOISE, Idaho — A federal court judge for the District of Idaho has announced his intention to leave active service in 2015.

U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge on Wednesday notified President Barack Obama that he plans to assume senior status on July 3. Senior status means the 80-year-old Lodge will continue to serve the court but his caseload will be cut back over time.

“It has been and continues to be an incredible privilege to serve on the same court with Judge Ed Lodge,” Chief District Judge B. Lynn Winmill said. “His judicial legacy is simply unmatched in Idaho’s history. His experience, his judicial temperament, his wisdom, and his thoughtfulness make him the standard by which all other judges must be measured. Fortunately, Judge Lodge’s decision to take senior status means that the District of Idaho will, for many years, continue to be blessed by his unmatched ability and skill as a jurist.”

Lodge, the spouse of Republican State Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, has overseen Idaho’s biggest cases, from the aftermath of the standoff at a white supremacist’s cabin near Ruby Ridge that resulted in three deaths, and the death penalty case of Joseph Duncan, a convicted child killer.

Idaho lawmakers earlier this year passed a resolution honoring Lodge for his 50 years on the bench.

President George H.W. Bush nominated Lodge, and he started serving on the court for the District of Idaho on Nov. 17, 1989. The court said Lodge is the longest serving active U.S. District Court judge in the history of the District of Idaho. He is also the 10th person to serve as a U.S. District judge in Idaho.

Lodge’s replacement must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Winmill was the last federal district judge appointed in Idaho, in 1995.

“This is pretty big news for Idaho,” said Elizabeth Smith, district court clerk.

Lodge graduated from Caldwell High School in southwest Idaho. He graduated from the College of Idaho in 1957 and the University of Idaho College of Law in 1961. He was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in April 1962.

He served as a probate Judge from 1963 to 1965, and as a district judge in 3rd District Court from 1965 to 1987. He also served as Idaho’s third U.S. bankruptcy judge from 1988 to 1989.