Robyn Michelle Maddox Brody (born February 13, 1970)[1] is an American justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, since 2017. Elected to an open seat in November 2016, she is the third woman to serve on the state's highest court,[2] and the first elected rather than appointed by the governor. Prior to her election, Brody was in private practice for nineteen years in south centralIdaho, in Twin Fallsand Rupert.[3][4][5]
Early years
Brody was born on February 13, 1970, in Wayne, Michigan,[1] Brody's parents worked for United Airlines,[6] her father as a ramp agent and her mother in kitchen operations.[3] When Brody was 12, her family relocated to Denver, Colorado, and after graduation from high school in 1988, she accepted a scholarship at the University of Denver. Brody earned a bachelor's degree in international and Russian studies in 1992.
Career
After graduating, Brody traveled to Russia and spent a year in Saint Petersburg, teaching tenth grade English and studying Russian. She returned to Denver in 1993 and entered Sturm College of Law in a dual-degree program in law (J.D.) and international management, graduating in 1997.[3][4]
Brody joined a private firm in Twin Falls and stayed for thirteen years, the last ten as a partner. She left the firm in 2010 to begin her own firm in Rupert, where she and her family had moved.[3]
Election
Following Chief Justice Jim Jones' retirement announcement in March 2016,[7] Brody entered the election race for the high court's open seat.[8] She finished first in the field of four in May with 30.3%,[9] and won the run-off in November over state senator Curt McKenzie of Nampa,[6][10] with 53.8% of the vote.[11]
On January 5, 2017, Brody was sworn into office by retired Chief Justice Linda Copple Trout,[2] the first woman to serve on the court, from 1992 to 2007. She ran unopposed in May 2022 for her second term.
