George Richard Bevan (born May 5, 1959) is an American attorney and jurist who currently is the
chief justice of Idaho.
He previously served as an
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
district court judge from 2003 until 2017,
[ when he was appointed to the supreme court.
]
Early life and education
Born and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regional ...
, Bevan graduated from Twin Falls High School
Twin Falls High School is a public secondary school in Twin Falls, Idaho, one of two traditional high schools operated by the Twin Falls School District.
School history
Twin Falls High School was founded in 1907. Citizens passed a bond in 1909 to ...
in 1977,[ and then attended ]Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
in Provo, Utah
Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU).
Provo lies between the ...
. He earned a Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in business management and finance in 1984, and completed 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 ...
at the J. Reuben Clark Law School
The J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU Law or JRCLS) is the graduate law school of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, a former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and g ...
Career
Bevan served as the Twin Falls County
Twin Falls County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 90,046, making it the fifth-most populous county in Idaho. The county seat and largest city is Twin Falls ...
prosecuting attorney
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...
from 1993 to 1997 as partner in the law firm Hillifield & Bevan
Idaho District Court
In 2003, Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...
appointed Bevan as a state judge on the Idaho District Court for the 5th judicial district, which covers the south central portion of the state. He was re-elected in 2006, 2010,
Bevan was considered by Idaho's Senators Mike Crapo
Michael Dean Crapo ( ; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Crapo previously served as the U.S. repres ...
and Jim Risch
James Elroy Risch ( ; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kem ...
for a possible nomination as a federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level.
United States
A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 of ...
, but David Nye was selected
Idaho Supreme Court
In April 2017, Idaho Supreme Court justice Dan Eismann announced that he would retire on August 31.Idaho Judicial Council
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
provided Governor Butch Otter
Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2006, and reelected in 2010, and 2014. Otter ...
with four replacement candidates to choose from: Bevan, then-state district judges John Stegner and Greg Moeller, and attorney Rebecca Rainey.[ Later, both Stegner and Moeller joined Bevan on the Court.
Bevan was sworn in as a justice of the supreme court on September 27, 2017. Unopposed in the 2018 election,]
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevan, G. Richard
1959 births
21st-century American judges
Brigham Young University alumni
Chief Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court
J. Reuben Clark Law School alumni
Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court
Living people
People from Twin Falls, Idaho