Judicial candidates in feisty race

BOISE (AP) - In the race for the Idaho Supreme Court, neither Judge John Bradbury nor Justice Roger Burdick are relying on precedent.

Historically speaking, Burdick may have an edge - only one incumbent justice has been unseated in the past six decades. But Bradbury has already come very close to the high court: In 2008, he lost by just 276 votes to incumbent Justice Joel Horton.

Both are furiously campaigning across the state, each hoping voters will rule in their favor. And neither are pulling punches: Bradbury says Burdick has catered to politics rather than the people, while Burdick says Bradbury is more focused on activism than interpreting the law.

Bradbury, from Grangeville, has presented himself as a champion for rural Idaho, saying he ran the only rural mental health court in the state and telling voters he understands the frustrations rural residents have over the lack of services in their regions.