Ms. Owens is a graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law. She began her career in the Capital Litigation Unit at Idaho’s State Appellate Public Defender’s Office, defending clients on death row. From there, she became a Trial Attorney with the Ada County Public Defender’s Office, where she handled many jury trials and was the first woman in the office assigned as lead counsel in a first-degree murder case. She joined the Federal Defender Service of Idaho (FDSI) as an Assistant Federal Defender in 2018. In 2021, she was appointed as the Executive Director of FDSI which is a nonprofit, Community Defender Organization for the District of Idaho with trial units in Boise and Pocatello. FDSI represents indigent clients charged with a variety of federal crimes including those related to immigration, drugs, firearms, fraud, child pornography, bank robbery, human trafficking, national security and cases arising on Indian reservations in Idaho. FDSI also has a Capital Habeas Unit in Boise that represents clients on death row mainly in Idaho but also other states.
Justice Robyn M. Brody practiced law for nearly 20 years in the Magic Valley until her election to the Idaho Supreme Court in November of 2016. She graduated from the University of Denver, earning a law degree and a master’s degree in international business. Justice Brody moved to Twin Falls with her husband after law school and practiced law there for 13 years. Justice Brody and her family moved to Rupert in 2010 where she started her own law firm.
Justice Brody serves as the vice chief of the Idaho Supreme Court. She chairs the Pro Bono Commission and the Language Access Committee. She is also the Court’s liaison to the Child Protection Committee, the Child Support Guidelines Committee, and the Children and Families in the Courts Committee. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Idaho College of Law where she teaches a small law firm management practicum. She spends time volunteering to strengthen Idaho’s legal community by participating in numerous continuing legal education seminars and serving as a mentor and presenter at the Idaho Trial Skills Academy, a new lawyer training program. One of her favorite parts of a being a Supreme Court Justice is having the privilege of giving tours of the Supreme Court to many of Idaho’s fifth graders.
Justice Brody and her husband have been married for 28 years, and the couple have two active boys, ages 16 and 18. She enjoys spending time with her boys in numerous sports and activities, including football, skiing, speech and debate, and drama. She is an active member of the Catholic Church and is a past president of the School Board of St. Nicholas Catholic School.
Judge Megan Marshall
Judge Megan Marshall is a fifth generation Idaho native. She earned her Bachelors in English and her Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Idaho.
Her career has spanned both the public and private sectors; representing defendants in complex criminal cases including homicide, white-collar crimes, and multi-jurisdictional drug offenses in state and federal court in addition to representing clients in a variety of civil litigation. She started her career as a Kootenai County Deputy Public Defender advocating for indigent clients in criminal cases. From there, she joined Winston & Cashatt, Lawyers, where she continued her representation of clients in both Idaho and Washington, and served as a member of the CJA panel.
In 2017, Judge Marshall relocated to Moscow, where she operated her own law practice until her appointment to the bench in December 2018. She is the first female judge in Latah County, and only the 5th Magistrate Judge in the county’s history.
Elijah Watkins is a trial attorney with Stoel Rives LLP, handling complex business litigation in both state and federal courts. He regularly represents companies in consumer and unlawful trade practices actions, intellectual property disputes, products liability matters, commercial contract disputes, and real property issues. He routinely defends manufacturers in cases involving asbestosis, mesothelioma, and silicosis. Elijah has appeared in state and federal courts across the country, including Idaho, Illinois, California, Utah, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Wyoming. He works with public and privately held businesses in several industries, including insurance, technology, healthcare, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, consumer products and financial services.
In addition to his extensive commercial client work, Elijah regularly provides pro bono counseling to domestic violence victims, political asylees, endangered children and incarcerated persons. Prior to moving back home to his native Idaho, Elijah practiced at Latham & Watkins, LLP in Chicago.
Howard Belodoff is the Associate Director of Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc. and has a part-time private firm. In 1978, Mr. Belodoff received a Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship from Howard University after graduating from the University of Idaho College of Law. Mr. Belodoff’s trial and appellate work has focused on civil rights. He has established case precedents of national significance, including fourteen successful appeals in the Ninth Circuit. He is currently the Idaho Federal District Court Ninth Circuit Lawyer’s Representative.
Mr. Belodoff was honored to receive the 2021 Idaho State Bar Distinguished Lawyer Award, the 2019 Reginald Heber Smith Justice Award by the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, and the 2018 Idaho Trial Lawyers Association “Trial Lawyer of the Year” Award. He has been named a “Super Lawyer” since 2010 and is a Martindale-Hubbell Most Honored Lawyer.
Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar is the 48th Solicitor General of the United States and serves as the fourth-ranking individual at the Department of Justice. As Solicitor General, she is responsible for conducting and supervising all Supreme Court litigation on behalf of the United States. The Solicitor General also determines whether appeals will be taken by the federal government to all appellate courts and whether the federal government will file an amicus curiae brief or intervene in any appellate court.
Solicitor General Prelogar previously served in multiple roles at the Department of Justice. Before her confirmation as Solicitor General, she served as Acting Solicitor General and Principal Deputy Solicitor General. She also served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General from 2014 to 2019. During her prior tenure as a career attorney at the Department, she was detailed to Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and obstruction-of-justice issues, where she served as an Assistant Special Counsel.
Solicitor General Prelogar was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. She received her bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews. She subsequently spent a year living and studying in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a Fulbright Fellow. She graduated from Harvard Law School where she was an Articles Editor of the Harvard Law Review.
After graduating from law school, Solicitor General Prelogar clerked for Judge Merrick B. Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She then completed consecutive Supreme Court clerkships for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Elena Kagan. After her clerkships, she worked as an associate in the appellate group at Hogan Lovells LLP. She later became a partner at Cooley LLP focused on Supreme Court and appellate litigation, and she also served as a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, where she co-taught a course on Supreme Court and appellate advocacy.
On June 15, 2022, Joshua D. Hurwit was sworn in as the 32nd presidentially-appointed United States Attorney for the District of Idaho after having been nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate. Mr. Hurwit joined the Office in 2012 as an Assistant United States Attorney. He has investigated and prosecuted financial crimes, public corruption cases, environmental crimes, cases brought under the RICO Act, and drug and firearms offenses. When he initially joined the office, he served in the civil division, handling environmental litigation and enforcement actions on behalf of the United States. In 2015, Mr. Hurwit received the Director’s Award for Excellence by a Litigative Team for his work as part of the team that successfully prosecuted United States v. Swenson et al., the securities and wire fraud case arising from the collapse of DBSI, Inc.
Mr. Hurwit grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and graduated from Stanford University in 2002. Before attending law school, Mr. Hurwit worked for a fair housing organization in the Bay Area. Mr. Hurwit graduated from Harvard Law School in 2006. He then clerked for U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the Southern District of New York and worked at national law firms before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in Idaho.
Mr. Hurwit has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Idaho College of Law, has volunteered his time speaking to high school students about the criminal justice system, and has served on the boards of local non-profits.
Joe Pirtle joined Bar Counsel’s office in April 2022. Prior to serving as Bar Counsel for the Idaho State Bar, Joe was a shareholder with the law firm of Elam & Burke in Boise.
Joe is an Idaho native who spent his youth in Eagle, Twin Falls and Boise. Before entering private practice, Joe served as a law clerk to Twin Falls County District Judge John C. Hohnhorst. Joe received his B.S. in Business Finance from the University of Idaho in 2001 and his J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2004.
Joe was an inaugural class member of the Idaho Academy of Leadership for Lawyers, and later served on its steering committee. He is also a past chairperson of the Idaho State Bar Litigation Section and served as a mentor for the Idaho Trial Skills Academy. Joe currently serves on the Attorney Well Being Task Force, and previously served many years as a member of the Idaho Lawyer Assistance Program.
Professor Jessica R. Gunder joined the University of Idaho College of Law faculty in 2017. She received her B.A. in both Political Science and Sociology in 2003 from the University of Missouri, graduating with honors. She then earned her J.D. in 2007 from the University of Missouri, where she was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif and Order of Barristers.
Following law school, Professor Gunder served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable E. Richard Webber with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. She then worked as a Trial Attorney with the Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Branch in Washington, DC, where her responsibilities included advancing both criminal prosecutions and civil litigation related to the protection of public health and safety. Professor Gunder also worked as an Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho, where she served as the Civil Division's Affirmative Civil Enforcement Coordinator and Civil Rights Coordinator.
Nick Smith joined the University of Idaho College of Law faculty in 2022 as the director of the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic and assistant professor of law. He earned a J.D. summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota and was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif. He earned a B.A. in linguistics from Brigham Young University.
Professor Smith was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Paul A. Magnuson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and the Honorable Michael S. Kanne of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. His private practice experience focused on business and real estate transactions. He started his private practice career at Idaho’s oldest and largest law firm prior to founding his own firm. From 2016 to 2018, he lived in American Samoa, where he worked for a general business law firm. Immediately prior to joining the faculty, Professor Smith was an associate general counsel of a Boise-based technology company that went public during his tenure there.
Professor Smith’s research interests include corporate social responsibility; impact investing; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in business decision-making; and social entrepreneurship.
Chad Johnson is a plaintiff’s employment litigation attorney practicing in Idaho and Utah. Prior to pursuing his legal career, Chad satisfied his wanderlust by living several years abroad in South America, Asia, and the South Pacific. After Chad’s return to Idaho, he obtained his law degree and practiced criminal defense before joining Strindberg Scholnick Birch Harstad Thorne in the summer of 2019. Chad’s practice focuses on employee claims often arising out of discrimination, pay, and whistleblower disputes.
Alex Grande is a civil and employment litigator and partner at Holland & Hart. She advises employers through all phases of the employment relationship, providing guidance regarding state and federal workforce compliance issues and representing employers in court and before state and federal agencies to resolve claims of discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. Additionally, Alex advises clients in a broad array of business litigation.
Alex is a member of the ISB’s Litigation and Employment Sections, the Idaho Women Lawyers, and the Employment Law Alliance. She serves on the Board of Jesse Tree (a local non-profit focused on preventing eviction and homelessness in Ada and Canyon County), is the Treasure Valley Representative for the College of Idaho’s National Alumni Board, and Chairs the Holland & Hart Foundation for the Boise Office. She sometimes puts her ever-growing whiskey collection to good use by hosting tastings that benefit the H&H Foundation’s charitable work.
April Linscott is a partner at Owens, McCrea and Linscott in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Her practice focuses on employment litigation, mainly representing employees. April is admitted to practice in state and federal court in Idaho, as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. In addition to the practice of law, she enjoys spending time in the north Idaho backcountry with her horses and dogs.
Kara is a partner at Witherspoon, Brajcich, McPhee in Coeur d’Alene, where she focuses her practice on advising employers on all aspects of employment law matters and defending employers before state and federal agencies and courts. Kara is admitted to practice in federal courts in Idaho, Washington, and Alaska, as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities and time with her dogs.
Jeff Severson is Chief Deputy Clerk for the United States District and Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho. An Idaho native, Jeff received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, and his law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. Upon graduation from law school, Jeff clerked for Judge B. Lynn Winmill in the District of Idaho, and later practiced law as a criminal defense attorney for the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, and as a civil litigator in the Boise office of Stoel Rives. In 2005, Jeff returned to the District of Idaho as a Career Law Clerk for Judge Winmill. He became Chief Deputy Clerk for the District in 2018.
David G. Robins currently serves as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Idaho.
Mr. Robins was born and raised in Colorado. Being of modest means, he chose military service to finance his education. He joined the Air Force despite having never previously flown on an airplane. The military recognized that he was unabashedly nerdy and assigned him to the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. There, he did counterinsurgency work and uranium enrichment facility analyses. Mr. Robins, fueled by near-lethal amounts of caffeine, was able to earn a bachelor’s degree on active duty. While he was proud to serve, he longed to return to the mountain west and become a lawyer. Idaho was a natural pick. He attended law school at the University of Idaho and graduated with honors. Thereafter, he served as a state prosecutor for several years. He handled hundreds of diverse criminal cases and worked as the prosecutor for the North Idaho Sex Offender Task Force. He progressed to lead many high-profile cases, including a capital murder jury trial. In 2018, Mr. Robins joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho as an AUSA. He continues to handle a diverse caseload, but he primarily prosecutes child sex crime cases.
Katie Ball has worked for the University of Idaho College of Law since 2008. She directs the semester-in-practice and externship programs. She teaches Federal Courts and other classes using experiences from her federal court clerkships and private practice to inform class discussions. She served as the Associate Dean of Students from August 2019 through April of 2021.
Katie is a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, currently serves as a Lawyer Representative for that court, and has participated in several roles and as a member of the Federal Bar Association Idaho Chapter.
Katie earned her law degree from the University of Idaho in May 2002. During law school she worked for the Idaho Attorney General’s Office in the Criminal Appellate Division and for Holland & Hart LLP. She spent her last semester of law school externing for the Honorable B. Lynn Winmill, the former Chief United States District Judge in Idaho.
After graduating from law school, Katie clerked for a year for the Honorable Stephen S. Trott with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. During the following year, she worked as a staff attorney in the habeas/capital case unit at the United States District Court for the District of Idaho and worked part-time for the Honorable Thomas G. Nelson with the Ninth Circuit. She spent a year with the law firm of Holland & Hart LLP before returning to the federal court to work for the Honorable Larry M. Boyle in 2005. She worked for ten years as the career law clerk for Judge Larry M. Boyle and then the Honorable Ronald E. Bush, former Chief United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Idaho, before leaving federal service to teach full time at the College of Law.
Katie supervises the UI College of Law Golf Club and the FBA Idaho Chapter Law Student Division. She also coordinates the state Magistrate Judge Research Assistance Program and an Institute for secondary school teachers focused on the rule of law and need for an independent judiciary.
Sonyalee Nutsch has been a partner at Clements, Brown and McNichols, P.A. since 2006, where her practice focuses on the defense of business entities and their employees or insureds in a variety of cases. Prior to joining Clements, Brown and McNichols, P.A. in 2003, Ms. Nutsch was with the Nez Perce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where she started as an intern in 1999.
Ms. Nutsch was raised in southern Idaho, graduating from Jerome High School in 1993. She moved to Lewiston to attend Lewis-Clark State College where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Justice Studies in 1997. She then attended the University of Idaho, College of Law and graduated cum laude in 2000. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Patrick, for 29 years, and together they enjoy traveling all over the world.