---
title: "Joel Horton | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joel-horton-4153"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Joel Horton

Supreme Court of Idaho · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Supreme Court of Idaho
- State: Idaho
- Role: Judge
- Service status: former
- Last verified: 2026-08-22

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Idaho Supreme Court, 2007-present
- Joel David Horton is an American lawyer and retired judge who held the role of a Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court from 2007 to 2018
- In September 2007, Governor Butch Otter appointed Horton to succeed Justice Linda Copple Trout
- 1996–2007: Judge, Idaho 4th Judicial District
- Twin Falls deputy prosecutor 1986–88, Ada prosecutor 1988–90 and 1992–94, deputy attorney general 1991–92, Ada magistrate 1994–96 and Fourth District judge 1996–2007
- 1994–1996: Ada County Magistrate Judge

### Education

- University of Idaho College of Law in — J.D. (1985)
- B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington in 1982
- Political science bachelors at University of Washington in 1982

### Additional information

- Idaho Supreme Court from 2007 to 2018, appointed by Governor Otter to succeed Linda Copple Trout.
- Horton grew up in Lewiston and Boise, graduating from Borah High School in 1977.
- Born October 30, 1959, in Nampa, Idaho.
- Date of birth: 1959-01-01

## 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://www.courtlistener.com/person/4153/joel-horton/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4153/joel-horton/)
- [Supreme Court of Idaho current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4153/joel-horton/)
- [Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service, Rule 6](https://isc.idaho.gov/rules-procedure/irefs)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4153/joel-horton/)
- [sitting_membership_end](https://isc.idaho.gov/about-the-courts/ica-judges)
- [ballotpedia.org](https://ballotpedia.org/Joel_Horton)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4153/joel-horton/)

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