Colleen D. Zahn (born October 7, 1973) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the

Idaho Supreme Court The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court are binding on all other Idaho state courts. The only court that may reverse ...

. She assumed office in 2021.

Education

Zahn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and public relations from the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

in 1995 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from its

College of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

in 2000.

Career

Zahn spent ten years in the private sector with trial and litigation firms. She served as a deputy attorney general in the department of correction and the civil litigation division, and was the chief of the criminal law division for the

state attorney general The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney genera ...

until her judicial appointment.

Idaho Supreme Court

On June 1, 2021, Governor

Brad Little Bradley Jay Little (born February 15, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2009 to 2019 and as an Ida ...

appointed Zahn to serve as an

associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

. Little nominated Zahn for the seat being vacated by Chief Justice Roger Burdick, who had announced his intent to retire on June 30. Zahn was sworn in on July 1, and publicly sworn in on July 14, 2021. She is the fourth female justice to serve on the court, and ran unopposed in 2022, conducted in the state's May primary.

References

External links

Idaho Supreme Court
– Hon. Collen D. Zahn Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Idaho lawyers Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court University of Idaho alumni University of Idaho College of Law alumni 1973 births 21st-century American women judges {{US-state-judge-stub