Rexburg judge named to Idaho Supreme Court
Seventh District Judge Gregory Moeller, of Rexburg, has been picked to fill a vacancy on the Idaho Supreme Court.
Governor C.L.”Butch” Otter announced the appointment Friday. “Judge Moeller brings a diverse breadth of judicial experience to the Supreme Court bench,” said Governor Otter. “He understands the complex vagaries and nuances of Idaho water law and is equally well-versed in the day-to-day challenges of jurisprudence. I believe Judge Moeller will be an outstanding addition to Idaho’s highest court.”
Moeller will succeed Justice Joel Horton, who is retiring from the court. Moeller was one of four finalists nominated to the state’s highest court by the Idaho Judicial Council. The Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School graduate has been a district judge since April of 2009. Prior to that, Moeller was a partner in the law firm of Rigby, Thatcher, Andrus, Rigby & Kam, in Rexburg. Judge Moeller has been a finalist for a seat on the Idaho Supreme Court twice before, during the summer of 2017 and in the spring of 2018.
“It was a great honor when Governor Otter appointed me in 2009 to serve the people of Eastern Idaho as a district judge,” said Moeller. “Today, I am deeply humbled to have again earned the Governor’s trust and confidence. I pledge to do my best in this new assignment to serve all of the citizens of Idaho by upholding the rule of law and preserving the constitutional principles we cherish.”
Moeller has presided over more than 50 trials in seven different counties. He also presides over the Upper Valley Mental Health Court and serves on five Idaho Supreme Court Committees, including the faculty for training new judges.
Otter also announced the appointment of Attorney Amanda Brailsford, of Garden City, to the Idaho Court of Appeals. She will fill a vacancy created with the retirement of Judge Sergio Gutierrez.
For the past five years, Brailsford has been a partner in the law firm of Andersen, Schwartzman, Woodard and Brailsford in Boise, where she specialized in complex antitrust, contract law and legal malpractice cases. Previously, Brailsford worked for 18 years at the Holland & Hart law firm, also in Boise, serving eight years as an associate and more than ten years as a partner. During that tenure she focused on civil litigation related to product liability, employment law and agricultural law.
