Gerald Frank Schroeder^[1] (born September 13, 1939) is a former American attorney and jurist who served as chief justice of Idaho. He was appointed to the court in 1995 by Governor Phil Batt,^[2] and was elected chief justice by his peers in 2004.^[3] He served on the court for over a dozen years and retired in July 2007.^[3]

Early life and education

Born in Boise, Idaho, Schroeder attended public schools in Caldwell, Idaho and Baker, Oregon, where he was salutatorian at Baker High School in 1957. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the College of Idaho in Caldwell in 1961, and initially planned on becoming a history professor. He took the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) on a whim and was accepted to Harvard Law School, earning his J.D. in 1964.^[3]

Career

After graduating from law school, Schroeder returned to Idaho and worked for several firms in Boise for three years. He was then appointed a deputy U.S. attorney in 1967,^[4] became a county probate judge in 1969, and a magistrate two years later. He became a state judge in 1975 in the fourth district (Boise), a position he held for two decades, until his appointment to the state supreme court in January 1995.^[3] Schroeder retained his seat in 1996 and 2002, running unopposed in both statewide elections.^[5][6]

As a district judge, Schroeder made headlines in 1987 as he ruled that the state lottery initiative, approved by voters the previous November, was unconstitutional.^[7] His decision was upheld 4-1 by the state supreme court,^[8] and resulted in an amendment to the state constitution. Voters approved that in November 1988,^[9][10][11] and the lottery was launched in July 1989.^[12]

Schroeder ordered the execution of double-murderer Keith Wells in 1992. Carried out in January 1994, it was Idaho's first execution in over 36 years and the tenth in state history.^[13][14][15] He was among the officials that witnessed the execution by lethal injection at the Idaho State Correctional Institution.^[3][14]