BOISE — Idaho Court of Appeals Judge Sergio Gutierrez, the state's first and only Latino judge, will retire at the end of this year.
According to the Idaho Judicial Council, Gutierrez's retirement will be effective on Dec. 31.
Gutierrez was first appointed as a district judge by former Democratic Gov. Cecil Andrus in 1993. He was then appointed by former Republican Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to the Idaho Court of Appeals in 2002.
During his judicial career, Gutierrez helped push for a statewide initiative to set competency standards for court interpreters.
Gutierrez ran unsuccessfully for the Idaho Supreme Court in a four-way race in 2016. He also unsuccessfully applied to become a justice for the state's highest court seven times.
The Idaho Judicial Council is currently accepting applications to fill Gutierrez's vacancy until August 15.
