Ninth Circuit Judge Ryan D. Nelson was charged in gem state with misdemeanor battery and malicious injury to property after an April 2 altercation in an Idaho Falls parking lot. He pleaded not guilty on May 13, and the case is set for a pretrial conference on June 18.
Ryan D. Nelson case
The charges were filed on April 22 by the Idaho Falls city prosecutor's office. The case is State of Idaho v. Nelson, Idaho Dist. Ct., No. CR10-26-03905.
Curtis Reed Smith represents Nelson, while Zachary Jones is prosecuting the case for Idaho Falls. Nelson sits on the Ninth Circuit and has been on the bench since his confirmation in 2018.
April 2 parking lot altercation
The Idaho State Journal reported that the case stems from a confrontation Nelson had with a man in a parking lot in Idaho Falls on April 2. The outlet also published video of the incident showing Nelson acting aggressively in the parking lot.
The record places the criminal case in local court even though Nelson is a sitting federal appeals judge based in Idaho Falls. Law was not immediately able to obtain the underlying records describing the incident.
June 18 pretrial conference
The June 18 pretrial conference is the next scheduled step in the case. Nelson’s not-guilty plea means the matter will proceed through the local court process unless the parties reach a different resolution before then.
His 2018 nomination by President Donald Trump and his current seat on the Ninth Circuit make the misdemeanor case unusual in Idaho Falls court, where the charges and the next hearing are now the key developments on the docket.
