Linda Jayne Copple Trout (born September 1, 1951) is an American lawyer and retired judge from

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 Wyomi ...

. She is a former chief 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 ...

, the only female to hold that position. Appointed by

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 ...

Cecil Andrus Cecil Dale Andrus (August 25, 1931 – August 24, 2017) was an American politician who served 26th and 28th governor of Idaho, for total of fourteen years. A Democrat, he also served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1977 to 1981 during the ...

as an associate justice in 1992, she was the first of four women to serve on the court. Born in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan, Trout was adopted by a

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

pediatrician, Dr. B.I. "Bing" Copple, and graduated from

Boise High School Boise High School is a public secondary school in Boise, Idaho, one of five traditional high schools within the city limits, four of which are in the Boise School District. A three-year comprehensive high school, Boise High is located on the outly ...

in 1969. She attended 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 Universit ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, and was a member of

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

. Trout earned a bachelor's degree in 1973, and a J.D. from the UI

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 1977. Trout passed the bar in Idaho in 1977 and was in private practice in Lewiston for She was appointed a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

magistrate judge in 1983 and was elected in 1990 as a state judge in the second district, based in Lewiston. Trout was appointed to the state's supreme court in 1992 and took office on her 41st birthday. She retained her seat in statewide elections in 1996 (unopposed) and 2002. Trout became the chief justice in February 1997, elected unanimously by the other justices, and served two terms in that capacity, over seven years. She was on the state's highest court for fifteen years and retired with over a year left in her term in August 2007, succeeded by She is married to attorney Kim J. Trout (B.S. 1976, J.D. 1979,

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External links

Archived Idaho Supreme Court Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trout, Linda Copple 1951 births Living people 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges Chief Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court People from Boise, Idaho People from Tokyo University of Idaho alumni University of Idaho College of Law alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States 20th-century American women judges 20th-century American judges 21st-century American women judges

See also

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