--- title: "Clark Peterson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/clark-peterson-id-trial" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Clark Peterson Idaho Magistrate Division, Judicial District 1 · Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: Idaho Magistrate Division, Judicial District 1 - State: Idaho - Role: Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - He joined a vacant magistrate judge seat in Idaho's First District Court (Kootenai County) in 2010 and has been re-elected multiple times, including in 2012, 2016, and 2020, often with strong voter support - Despite these issues, Peterson remains a duly elected magistrate judge, with the state Supreme Court holding authority over his reinstatement or removal - Before his judicial appointment, Peterson worked as a deputy district attorney in Las Vegas and later as a defense attorney at Amendola Doty & Brumley PLLC in Coeur d'Alene. ### Education - Clark Allen Peterson attended Washington and Lee University for his undergraduate studies and completed studies at Loyola Law School. - Undergraduate education, Washington and Lee University - Loyola Law School — J.D. ### Additional information - Re-elected 2020 with over 81 percent - Under his leadership, the 1st District's domestic violence court, established in 2013, was recognized as a model of leadership by the U.S. Office on Violence Against Women in 2020. - In 2013, concerns arose regarding his tabletop role-playing hobby, which some litigants claimed distracted him from his judicial duties. - Retained 2012 with 81 percent - Selected magistrate, Kootenai County, 2010 - He was admitted to the California Bar in 1994 and the Idaho Bar in 2001. - Peterson’s career has also been marked by controversies. - Peterson has presided over a variety of cases, including domestic violence matters. - His gaming background has occasionally intersected with public perception of his judicial role, but he has maintained that it does not interfere with his professional responsibilities - Clark A. Peterson is a long-serving magistrate judge in Idaho with a blend of legal expertise, community recognition, and public scrutiny. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic exhibit format Scope: statewide Idaho's statewide electronic-filing rule generally requires text-searchable PDF or PDF/A submissions and a 50 MB per-document limit; scanned-image attachments and exhibits may use standard PDF and are not rejected for the usual text-searchability format requirement. Evidence excerpt: A document ... submitted electronically to the court must be in the form of a text-searchable Portable Document Format (PDF) or a text-searchable Portable Document Format/A (PDF/A) file ... and not exceed 50 megabytes. A document that is an attachment or exhibit ... may be in standard PDF format and need not be text searchable. [Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service, Rule 6](https://isc.idaho.gov/rules-procedure/irefs) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://isc.idaho.gov/about-the-courts/judicial-directory) - [Official roster](https://isc.idaho.gov/about-the-courts/judicial-directory) - [Idaho Supreme Court official judicial roster](https://isc.idaho.gov/about-the-courts/judicial-directory) - [Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service, Rule 6](https://isc.idaho.gov/rules-procedure/irefs) - [biography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_A._Peterson) - [current_membership](https://isc.idaho.gov/about-the-courts/judicial-directory) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/clark-peterson-id-trial", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/clark-peterson-id-trial", "name": "Clark Peterson | KnowJudges", "description": "Clark Peterson, Idaho Magistrate Division, Judicial District 1. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://isc.idaho.gov/rules-procedure/irefs). Collected 2026-07-27.