Sandpoint woman appointed Idaho district judge

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has appointed Bonner County Magistrate Barbara Buchanan to the district judge seat serving Bonner and Boundary counties. Buchanan, 54, of Sandpoint, is the first woman appointed to a judgeship in the First Judicial District. She succeeds Judge Steve Verby, who is transitioning to senior status on the district bench this month. Buchanan, one of four nominees interviewed by the Idaho Judicial Council, has served 18 years as a magistrate. She is a Moscow native who received her bachelor’s and law degrees at the University of Idaho. She and her husband, Richard, have two daughters and a foster daughter. “The Idaho court system is in a period of change,” Buchanan said in her application for the position. “We are embarking on an innovative new program to deliver justice more quickly, efficiently and effectively. I am excited to be part of that process.”