Idaho Governor Appoints Two District Judges: Federal Prosecutor Blackadar and Judge Ferguson Named to Fourth District
Idaho Governor Brad Little announced in Boise on November 13 that he has appointed Erin Blackadar as a district judge in the Fourth Judicial District for Ada County and Judge Brent Ferguson as a district judge in the Fourth Judicial District for Elmore County. Both names came from candidate lists submitted by the Idaho Judicial Council under state law.
Blackadar graduated from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2012 and received her undergraduate degree from Middlebury College in Vermont in 2007. She has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since August 2022, after one year as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting a range of federal crimes with an emphasis on child exploitation offenses. Before joining the federal system, she spent seven years as an Ada County prosecutor handling a variety of criminal offenses, with an emphasis on child abuse and sexual assault cases, and spent her first two years after law school in private practice focusing on medical malpractice defense.
"I am honored by Governor Little's appointment and grateful for the opportunity to serve as a District Judge. I look forward to serving in the Fourth Judicial District, where I will execute my duties with integrity, impartiality, and dedication," Blackadar said.
Judge Ferguson graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2005 and received his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from California State University at Bakersfield in 2001. Before college and law school, he served in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 1992 and was then a police officer for more than seven years in southern California. After law school he practiced civil law, then joined the Ada County Prosecutor's Office for thirteen years, handling all types of criminal and child protection cases. He was appointed a magistrate judge in Elmore County in 2020, where he handles a general caseload of civil and criminal matters and has presided over the Elmore County Drug and DUI Court.
"I am deeply humbled and honored to be selected by Governor Little to serve as Elmore County's next District Court Judge. I will continue to do my best to serve the people of Elmore County and the Fourth Judicial District. I have devoted my life to public service and will continue to serve my community with honor, integrity, and a commitment to the rule of law," Ferguson said.
The governor also appointed Jennifer Reibe and Judge John Lothspeich to the Idaho Judicial Council, the statutory body charged with investigating complaints against judges and recommending judicial appointments to the governor. Reibe has served as a Payette County commissioner since 2022, following 15 years on the county's Planning and Zoning Commission, and has served on several regional and state boards. Lothspeich is a magistrate judge of the Fifth Judicial District in Jerome County, was elected Jerome County Prosecuting Attorney in 1996, and was appointed magistrate judge in 2018.
Under Idaho Code section 1-2101 and related provisions, vacancies on the Idaho Supreme Court, the Idaho Court of Appeals and the district courts are filled from a list of at least three qualified candidates submitted to the governor by the Judicial Council.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Idaho)
Source: Office of the Governor of Idaho
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Photo: 图：位于 Boise 的爱达荷州议会大厦。Quintin Soloviev 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Idaho State Capitol in Boise. Photo by Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
