Judge Gratton Named Chief of Idaho Court of Appeals

Idaho Court of Appeals Judge David Gratton will become that court’s next chief judge, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

The Court of Appeals consists of four judges who, in panels of three, hear appellate cases from Idaho’s trial courts as assigned by the Idaho Supreme Court. The chief judge presides over the Court of Appeals and oversees its administration.

Court rule and state law provide for the chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court to appoint a chief judge for the Court of Appeals every two years. Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan appointed Judge Gratton to his new term in an order signed Dec. 1.

Judge Gratton is the longest-serving of the current judges on the Court of Appeals, having first taken his seat in 2009. This is his fourth time presiding as chief judge.

“Judge Gratton is a long-tenured jurist in Idaho and an outstanding leader. His deep experience on the Court of Appeals will continue to be a boon,” Chief Justice Bevan said. “I look forward to working with him more closely.”

A native of Emmett, Judge Gratton spent more than 20 years as an attorney with a Boise law firm before Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appointed him to the appeals court. He was the first to take the court’s fourth seat, which the Legislature had just created the year before.

Judge Gratton succeeds Chief Judge Jessica Lorello, who remains on the court.