| John Stegner | |
| Office: | Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court |
| Term Start: | May 22, 2018 |
| Term End: | October 31, 2023 |
| Predecessor: | Warren Jones |
| Successor: | Cynthia Meyer |
| Office1: | Judge of the 2nd Judicial District Court of Idaho |
| Term Start1: | 1997 |
| Term End1: | May 22, 2018 |
| Successor1: | John Judge |
| Birth Date: | 8 November 1953 |
| Birth Place: | Grangeville, Idaho, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Laurie Stegner |
| Children: | 3 |
| Relatives: | Joe Stegner (brother) |
| Education: | Whitman College (BA) University of Idaho (JD) |
John R. Stegner (born November 8, 1953) is an American attorney and a former justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, retiring after five years in 2023. He was previously a state district court judge for over two decades.
Born and raised in Grangeville, Idaho, Stegner is the youngest of four sons of Charles and He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from Whitman College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1982.[1]
Stegner was in private practice in Lewiston for twelve years with Clements, Brown & McNichols. He clerked for the late U.S. District Judge for two years and worked for the family business, Stegner Grain & Seed Co.[2]
Stegner was previously a judge of the state's second judicial district, based in Moscow. Appointed by Governor Phil Batt in November 1996,[3] he served on the court from 1997 to 2018.[4]
In 2017, Stegner was considered for a vacancy on the state supreme court created by the retirement of Dan Eismann, but Governor Butch Otter appointed Richard Bevan in late August. Another vacancy soon arose with the sudden retirement of Warren Jones, and Otter appointed Stegner on May 22, 2018. He was selected from among four finalists named by the Idaho Judicial Council after public interviews with 14 applicants, including six sitting judges. Stegner was the only justice on the state's highest court from northern Idaho,[5] and the first in several decades. He ran unopposed in the 2020 election, held during the state primary in the spring.
In May 2023, Stenger sent a letter to Governor Brad Little, announcing his upcoming retirement from the court on October 31 and his return to private practice.[6] [7]