Otter names St. Maries attorney to 1st District court bench
Gov. Butch Otter has appointed St. Maries attorney Richard S. Christensen to be a 1st District judge, filling a vacancy that will open May 1 when current 1st District Judge John Luster retires. Christensen, 57, is a former prosecutor and former deputy Idaho attorney general; most recently he's been in private practice in St. Maries. Click below for Otter's full announcement.
C.L. “Butch” Otter
GOVERNOR
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 17, 2013
ST. MARIES ATTORNEY APPOINTED TO FIRST DISTRICT BENCH
(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of St. Maries attorney Richard S. Christensen to a vacancy that will be created by the retirement of 1st District Judge John Luster on May 1.
Christensen was among three candidates nominated by the Idaho Judicial Council for the Governor’s consideration. The others were Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor John Cafferty and Kootenai County Magistrate Scott Wayman.
Christensen, who will be 57 on April 30, is a New Jersey native who received his bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and his law degree from the University of Idaho. He was a prosecutor in Boise County, practiced law in Grangeville and Boise, was a deputy Idaho attorney general, a Benewah County prosecutor, and worked in private practice in St. Maries.
Christensen and his wife Katherine have three children.
“This isn’t the first time Rich has been among the outstanding candidates forwarded to me by the Judicial Council. I respect and admire his perseverance and his commitment to serving the people of northern Idaho as a district judge,” Governor Otter said. “Given this opportunity, I’m confident that Judge Christensen will be an outstanding jurist and a credit to the bench.”
