| Place a Classified | Subscribe today | July 10, 2009 |
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Local judge moving on
POCATELLO — The self-described fifth-generation redheaded Idahoan is not stepping down from the bench, but stepping up.
Appointed as a U.S. magistrate judge in November, Sixth District Judge Ronald E. Bush is rapidly approaching his final days as a district judge. He is currently tying up loose ends on a few cases, and then he plans to get a bit of fly fishing in. On Oct. 1, his brief respite from the bench will be over and he will begin presiding over cases at the federal courthouses in Pocatello, Boise and Coeur d’Alene. Although he has had the better part of a year to contemplate his leaving the Sixth Judicial District, the finality of the move has begun to set in.
“I thought this was the place I’d finish my career,” he said. Bush was appointed to the district bench by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne in 2003 to replace retiring Magistrate Judge Larry M. Boyle. Prior to that, he was a partner in Hawley, Troxell, Ennis & Hawley, specializing in First Amendment, business and personal injury law.
Bush is eager to begin his new duties in the federal system, but a bit melancholy about departing his current job. “It’s a good opportunity, but hard to leave the people I enjoy working with,” he said.
In nearly five years as a district judge, he has come to know just how daunting a task it can be to be the embodiment of the justice system, imposing conditions on how people live their lives, and often sentencing them to prison terms. It is not a responsibility he has taken lightly. “You try not to become jaded, to approach every case with a fresh and open mind,” he said. “Sometimes that’s a lonely job.”
It can also be fraught with pitfalls. Bush, known for his articulate nature on the bench, once continued a sentencing to a later date, telling the defendant, “I hate to keep you hanging ....” “I realized after I said it, it wasn’t the best phrase,” he said.
Bush did not preside over any capital cases during his district judgeship, but is mindful of the difficulty such cases present a judge. “I admire and am glad for the work our judges do in those cases,” he said.
In his new role as a federal magistrate judge, he will hear portions of felony criminal cases, but will not preside over trials or sentencings. He will preside over the occasional misdemeanor case, as well as civil cases in which the parties have consented to his hearing the case. As he readies for his departure, he is generous in his praise of court staff and administrators, probation and parole officers, court marshals and others who helped his court run smoothly.
“I’ll miss the people, no question,” he said. “This judicial district is exceptionally well-managed. They work very hard at what they do, and do it very well. “I’ll miss my work with the mental health court. It’s been very enriching. It’s one of those things you take much more from ... in comparison with what you put in.”
Bush’s replacement will soon be named by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. “I hope that whoever the governor appoints to fill this seat has as good of an experience as I’ve had,” Bush said. Article RatingReader CommentsSubmit a CommentCommenting RulesWe encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.
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