Local prosecutor challenging incumbent District Judge in May primary

IDAHO FALLS — With the May primary less than two months away, two candidates have announced their candidacy for a district judgeship.

District Judge Steven Boyce is running for re-election against Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal.

RELATED | Local prosecutor running in district judge race

Elections for district judges are nonpartisan, and each judge is up for re-election every four years. To learn more about who’s running in your local and state races, click here.

Randy Neal

In a news release from the prosecutor, Neal says that his reason for running is tied to giving people a choice.

“It is not a true election if people don’t have choices,” Neal says.

EastIdahoNews.com previously reported that Neal, who was born in Gooding, was a police officer, instructor and expert witness for law enforcement in Utah, Texas, Nevada and Idaho. He has over 40 years of experience serving in various roles in the legal realm.

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Neal was elected Bonneville County Prosecutor in 2022, defeating Alayne Bean in the primary.

RELATED | New Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal sworn in

Going forward, Neal says “victims must be heard in the courtroom” and he says he’s committed to “accountability and proportionate consequences” for offenders.

“Along with efforts at rehabilitating offenders, there must be accountability and proportionate consequences — especially in those cases involving child victims and gun violence,” he says.

Steven Boyce

Boyce was appointed district judge in 2019 by Gov. Brad Little, succeeding former District Judge Gregory Moeller after he was appointed to serve in Idaho’s Supreme Court.

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Boyce went on to run unopposed for re-election in May 2022.

In a news release, Boyce discusses his early life in Idaho Falls, where he attended Falls Valley Elementary and graduated from Bonneville High School.

Prior to serving as a magistrate judge in Bonneville County, Boyce worked in the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office as Chief Deputy and later as a solo practitioner in real estate litigation. Later, he worked under for law firms Smith & Banks, and Hawley Troxell.

Boyce also served as the administrative District Judge for the Seventh Judicial District in 2025 and is the chair of the district’s Magistrate Commission.

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Boyce served on two of Idaho’s longest and high-profile cases within two years of one another. Both of them involved Chad and Lori Daybell.

In 2024, the Idaho Supreme Court presented Boyce with the George C. Granata award, recognizing “his exceptional commitment to ensuring fair and efficient justice for all Idahoans.”

Boyce says everyone deserves a justice system that is accessible, efficient, and impartial, and that’s what he says he’s focused on this election.

“I am honored and humbled to have been entrusted with my role in Idaho’s judiciary, and continue to be completely committed to ensuring justice for my community here in Southeast Idaho,” Boyce says in a news release. “I look forward to continuing that work.”

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