Meyer appointed First District judge

Cynthia K.C. Meyer of Coeur d'Alene has been appointed to the First Judicial District Bench serving Kootenai County.

Gov. Butch Otter's office announced the appointment Friday.

Meyer is the first female judge to be appointed to the post in Kootenai County.

"It's quite humbling, and it's a tremendous honor," Meyer said in a press release issued by James, Vernon and Weeks, the Coeur d'Alene firm where she is a partner.

Meyer will replace Judge Benjamin R. Simpson, who is retiring after 15 years of service. Meyer's appointment is effective immediately.

"I wish to thank Judge Simpson for his years of service to Idaho and also welcome Cynthia to her new role," said Gov. Otter. "I believe Cynthia has the right mix of temperament, decisiveness and personal integrity for the bench and I am confident that she will approach her new duties with the same well-reasoned, thoughtful demeanor that exemplified her tenure as a member of the Idaho State Bar."

A member of the international legal honor society, Phi Delta Phi, Meyer has practiced law in Utah and Idaho since 1987 and currently serves on the Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program Policy Council. She is a 1982 graduate of the College of Idaho (B.A. Political Science), and received her Juris Doctorate from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 1987.

She and her husband, Rick, have two children.

Meyer will be surrendering her partnership at James, Vernon and Weeks, where she practiced law in the areas of personal injury, business law, real estate law, and medical malpractice.

"We're sad to be losing such a talented attorney, but our district court will be gaining a terrific and exceptionally well-qualified judge," said Leander "Lee" James, a shareholder at James, Vernon and Weeks.