Bonneville County magistrate judge stepping down after 13 years
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IDAHO FALLS – As Steve Gardner prepares for retirement, he speaks highly of the men and women he’s been able to associate with over the years.
The 71-year-old Idaho Falls man will step down as a Bonneville County magistrate judge on Dec. 31 after 13 years on the bench.
During a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com in courtroom six at the Bonneville County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon, he reflected on a 40-year law career and memorable cases he’s been involved in.
When asked why he’s retiring, he responded, “It’s just time.”
“I’m old enough and I’ve got other things I want to do in my life,” Gardner says.
He and his wife, Jana, are looking forward to spending time with grandchildren and doing service for their church.
Though he will come back as a senior judge in April, filling in for full-time judges as needed a few days a week, Gardner says he’s going to miss full-time service.
Every judge has certain types of cases they specialize in. Gardner’s specialty is young adult court, which involves helping young people with a criminal record improve their life. They appear in court every week with their probation officer to report on their progress.
That’s an aspect of Gardner’s job that’s been particularly rewarding for him over the years.
“We have many graduates that are just doing really well. In fact, my last young adult court session was Monday. We had three of our graduates come back and it was wonderful to see them,” Gardner says.
But not every situation he deals with in court is positive. Gardner cites multiple family law cases where he had to make decisions about child custody, guardianship or whether to let grown children take control of their aging parent’s finances.
These are the types of cases that were “gut-wrenching” and “kept him up at night.”
Beginning a law career
Gardner was sworn in as a magistrate judge in 2010, but he worked as a private practice attorney 30 years before in a law firm across the street from the courthouse. It’s known today as Nelson Hall Perry Tucker.
He started when it was Sharp Anderson and Bush after graduating from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1980.
Gardner says he couldn’t have asked for a better place to begin his career.
Though there wasn’t anything in particular that prompted him to become an attorney, Gardner says he was always interested in doing good for people in the community. Working in this profession just made sense.
“I wasn’t particularly interested in much else,” he explains. “Ninety-nine percent of my practice was in the magistrate court, dealing with people’s lives and family matters. So (becoming a magistrate judge) was a real natural fit for me.”
Gardner was 58 when he was sworn in as a judge, but it was the third time he’d applied for the position.
The first time was early in his career. He wasn’t well-known and wasn’t even granted an interview, he says. His second attempt was in the early 1990s. He was invited for an interview but ultimately turned it down because it didn’t feel right at that time in his life.
Gardner says there are certain aspects of being a judge that are more appealing to him than being an attorney.
“The calendars are just relentless as a judge. But we can see far enough in advance when we need to adjust it, which makes it a little easier,” he says. “The other nice thing is that when I’m gone … a senior judge or one of the other judges will step up and do something for me. That’s been really helpful.”
Gardner feels privileged to have served the community in this capacity. He’s grateful to his wife for “being a champ” and supporting him all these years. He’s excited to have more time to devote to his family.
RELATED | These two attorneys were selected to be new Bonneville County Magistrate Judges
Earlier this month, the 7th Judicial District Magistrate Commission selected John C. Dewey as Gardner’s replacement. Dewey is a former deputy prosecutor for Bonneville County and currently serves as the prosecutor for the city of Idaho Falls.
Dewey says he’s wanted to be a magistrate judge since he started practicing law in 2010, and he’s “honored and super excited” that he was selected for this role.
He’s worked with Gardner his entire career and says he “has some big shoes to fill” as his replacement.
“He’s a great public servant and a great man,” Dewey says. “I’m anxious to serve wherever I’m needed. I’m excited about the new role and eager to get to work.”
The feeling is mutual for Gardner. He describes Dewey as a “bright and articulate” guy and says he will “do a wonderful job” as a judge.
“I have confidence in him,” says Gardner. “He’ll be very studious, he’ll want to do the right thing. Even though he’s been a career prosecutor, I don’t think that will taint him. He’ll call it straight across the board.”
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