State Supreme Court
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Robyn Brody (N) | 300,387 | 53.55% |
| Curt McKenzie (N) | 260,532 | 46.45% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
The two attorneys facing off for an open Idaho Supreme Court seat have taken decidedly different approaches to their campaigns. Curt McKenzie, a seven-term GOP state senator from Nampa, has leaned hard on partisan ties and interest group endorsements, though the position he’s seeking is a nonpartisan one. The approach backfired in August, when the Fraternal Order of Police – which had long worked with McKenzie on legislation – withdrew its endorsement after he twice represented criminal suspects who unsuccessfully sued police officers for using excessive force. But McKenzie did get a boost when a prominent Idaho business lobbying group, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, launched a $30,000 independent radio ad campaign in his favor through its political action committee; two other groups, the Realtors PAC and a billboard company, also have made independent expenditures to help McKenzie.
Robyn Brody, an attorney in private practice from Jerome, has tallied up endorsements from individuals, rather than groups, and they’ve been decidedly bipartisan, though she has past GOP ties as well. Over the years, Brody has made campaign contributions to several Idaho legislative candidates, according to state records, all of them Republicans. She’s been endorsed by an array of prominent people in law enforcement in Idaho, including eight sheriffs and 18 county prosecutors – some of whom were still upset with McKenzie over the excessive force lawsuits. Brody’s campaign has been backed by attorneys all over the state; in a new Idaho State Bar survey released in October, she was rated nearly twice as high in her qualifications for the high court as McKenzie.
McKenzie says he believes his background as a state legislator will serve him well on the state’s highest court, while Brody says her 20 years of practicing law in Idaho prepares her. If elected, she’d be the high court’s only woman; Idaho’s highest court has been all-male since Justice Linda Copple Trout retired in 2007.
The Candidates
Robyn Brody
- Party:
- No party
- City:
- Rupert, Idaho
Education: Bachelor’s degree, law degree, and a master’s degree in international management from the University of Denver.
Work experience: An attorney in private practice in Rupert, Brody has operated her practice for the past eight years, and previously was a partner in a Twin Falls law firm for 13 years. Past president of the Fifth District Bar Association.
Political experience: First run for office.
Family: Married. Has two children.
Curt McKenzie
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 55
- City:
- Boise, Idaho
Education: Earned bachelor’s degree from Northwest Nazarene University and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Work experience: Operates a solo law practice in Boise focusing on criminal defense. Previously worked for a Washington, D.C. law firm handling licensing agreements and copyright and trademark cases. Worked as a deputy Ada County prosecutor for one year and for six years in the civil litigation group at Stoel Rives in Boise.
Political experience: Seven-term Republican state senator
Family: Divorced. Has two children.
Complete Coverage
Brody on joining high court: ‘It is a position of trust like no other’
New Idaho Supreme Court Justice Robyn Brody was formally invested in her new office today, in a ceremony that included heartfelt remarks both from Brody and from new Chief Justice Roger Burdick; a ceremonial “robing” in which Brody’s husband, 5th District Judge Jonathan Brody, helped…
Brody leads in Idaho Supreme Court race
The numbers are still preliminary, but Robyn Brody is holding the edge against Curt McKenzie in the nonpartisan race for an open seat on the Idaho Supreme Court. With 129 of 962 precincts reporting, Brody had 59 percent of the vote to McKenzie’s 41 percent….
Brody leads in Idaho Supreme Court race
The numbers are still preliminary, but Robyn Brody is holding the edge against Curt McKenzie in the nonpartisan race for an open seat on the Idaho Supreme Court.
Eye on Boise: ‘Citizens for HJR 5’ actually elected officials, lobbying groups
So, who are the “Citizens for HJR 5”?
Brody, McKenzie offer differing perspectives on judicial demeanor and the current court
The two candidates for an open seat on the Idaho Supreme Court had some interesting comments at the forum yesterday, particularly on the subject of judicial demeanor. Candidate Robyn Brody had some pointed remarks about the current court on that score. “Demeanor of the court…
McKenzie hasn’t argued high court case
One of the two candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court acknowledged in a televised debate Friday night that he’s never argued a case before either the Idaho Supreme Court or the Idaho Court of Appeals. Curt McKenzie said, “My experience has been in front of our district judges or our magistrates.
One of the two candidates for Idaho Supreme Court has never argued a case there
One of the two candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court acknowledged in a televised debate Friday night that he’s never argued a case before either the Idaho Supreme Court or the Idaho Court of Appeals.
SupCourt race: McKenzie has never argued a case before the high court; Brody calls that concerning
One of the two candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court acknowledged in a televised debate Friday night that he’s never argued a case before either the Idaho Supreme Court or the Idaho Court of Appeals. Curt McKenzie said, “My experience has been in front of…
Candidates focus on experience in Idaho Supreme Court debate
Republican Sen. Curt McKenzie downplayed his partisan ties and defended his resume as a qualified candidate for an open seat on the Idaho Supreme Court, while Rupert attorney Robyn Brody pointed to her 20 years of working in a variety of court rooms during their first and only televised debate Friday…
Two vie for open Idaho Supreme Court seat
The two attorneys facing off for an open Idaho Supreme Court seat have taken decidedly different approaches to their campaigns. Here’s my full story as rivals Robyn Brody and Curt McKenzie face off tonight in an 8 p.m. debate on Idaho Public Television.
Two vie for open Idaho Supreme Court seat
The two attorneys facing off for an open Idaho Supreme Court seat have taken decidedly different approaches to their campaigns.
Idaho Bar survey rates Brody twice as high as McKenzie for state’s high court
The Idaho State Bar has released the results of its survey of state bar members about the qualifications of the two candidates vying for an open seat on the Idaho Supreme Court, and Robyn Brody has been rated nearly twice as highly by attorneys around the state as rival Curt McKenzie.
State Bar survey shows Brody rated nearly twice as high on qualifications for SupCourt as McKenzie
The Idaho State Bar has released the results of its survey of state bar members about the qualifications of the two candidates vying for an open seat on the Idaho Supreme Court, and Robyn Brody has been rated nearly twice as highly by attorneys around…
Eye on Boise: McAlister outraises Scott in N. Idaho race
The latest campaign finance reports from the race between Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, and Democratic challenger Kate McAlister of Sandpoint show McAlister out-raising the outspoken first-term incumbent. McAlister, president of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, raised $16,831 in the most recent reporting period, and $26,211 year-to-date; Scott raised $14,827 during the most recent period and $18,650 year-to-date.