John Stegner


John R. Stegner is an Associate Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and former state district court judge.

Early years

Born and raised in Grangeville, Idaho, Stegner is the youngest of four sons of Charles and He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1977 from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Idaho College of Law in Moscow in 1982.

Early career

Stegner was in private practice in Lewiston for twelve years with Clements, Brown & McNichols. He clerked for the late United States District Judge for two years and worked for the family business, Stegner Grain & Seed Co.

State judicial service

Stegner was previously a judge of the state's second judicial district, based in Moscow. He was appointed by Governor Phil Batt in November 1996, and served on the court from 1997 to 2018.

Idaho Supreme Court

In 2017, he was considered for a vacancy on the Idaho Supreme Court created by the retirement of Dan Eismann, but Governor Butch Otter appointed G. Richard Bevan in late August. Another vacancy soon arose with the sudden retirement of Warren Jones, and Otter appointed Stenger to the supreme court on May 22, 2018. He was selected from among four finalists named by the Idaho Judicial Council after public interviews with 14 applicants, including six sitting judges. Stegner is the only justice on the state's highest court from northern Idaho, and will be up for election in May 2020.