Kootenai Judge Robert Caldwell Dies at 59

Kootenai County Magistrate Judge Robert Caldwell died Tuesday, April 14. He was 59.

Judge Caldwell spent 17 years as a magistrate judge chambered at the court facilities in Coeur d’Alene, the city where he was raised. He was set to retire from active service this coming January at the end of his current term.

Prior to becoming a judge, he worked for another decade and a half as an attorney in various legal settings across north Idaho. He was a graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law.

His peers remember Judge Caldwell as a consummate professional with a strong belief in the rule of law and with empathy for the parties who appeared in his courtroom. Attorneys found him ethical and consistent in his approach to the law. Judges found him a supportive mentor and colleague who continually sought to improve Idaho’s court system.

About becoming a judge, he once told a local newspaper: “Magistrate judges are important because often they’re the first encounter a member of the public might have with the judicial system. I was hoping to be able to contribute something there.”

Judge Caldwell’s death is a loss for the legal community in north Idaho and across the state. Idaho’s Judicial Branch mourns with Judge Caldwell’s family and with all who knew him.