Lincoln County District Court Overview
Lincoln County is in Idaho's Fifth Judicial District with Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. Idaho uses a unified state trial court system. The District Court is the primary trial court in each county, and the Magistrate Division operates within that court. This is why the local court list is short. Lincoln County does not have separate justice courts, JP precincts, or county courts in the Texas sense.
The Fifth Judicial District Lincoln County page lists the courthouse in Shoshone, District Judge Ned C. Williamson, Magistrate Judge Cheri L. Hicks, Clerk Jennifer Hohnhorst, court information phone, fax, and office hours. The county District Court page gives the local records request route and court payment methods. Together, those sources establish the local court, judge, clerk, and records access paths.
The county's District Court source page is assigned to this Lincoln County District Court record page.
That page is the source for payment options, records request directions, court contacts, and the Shoshone courthouse counter.
Lincoln County District Court Contacts
The Lincoln County District Court table is best shown by court officer and function rather than by numbered courts. Idaho's research did not locate multiple separate numbered district courts in Lincoln County. District judge work, magistrate work, clerk functions, and jury functions all point back to the same courthouse address. The table below follows the official Fifth Judicial District and county entries.
| Court or officer | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County District Court | General trial court | 111 W B St, Ste C, Shoshone, ID 83352 | (208) 886-2173 |
| District Judge Ned C. Williamson | District judge | 111 W B St, Ste C, Shoshone, ID 83352 | (208) 886-2173 |
| Magistrate Judge Cheri L. Hicks | Magistrate Division | 111 W B St, Ste C, Shoshone, ID 83352 | (208) 886-2173 |
| Clerk Jennifer Hohnhorst | Clerk of the District Court | 111 W B St, Ste C, Shoshone, ID 83352 | 208-886-7641 |
| Jury Commissioner Kayla Schroeder | Jury service | 111 W B St, Ste C, Shoshone, ID 83352 | (208) 886-2173 ext. 1188 |
The Lincoln County jury source explains that jury service is trial-by-trial and jurors must keep checking whether a trial has been canceled or moved.
That jury page supports the local court rhythm, including the jury line and email contacts used for summons questions.
District Court and Magistrate Division
Lincoln County court records should be read through Idaho's court structure. The District Court is the general trial court. The Magistrate Division handles the high-volume lower trial work inside the same district court system. There is no separate Lincoln County county court or JP court page in the official local sources. Municipal or city prosecution functions may exist where applicable, but the official county research did not locate a separate Lincoln municipal court records page.
| Topic | District Court | Magistrate Division | Separate county or JP court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General-jurisdiction trial matters. | Lower-level and high-volume matters within District Court. | Not located in official Lincoln County sources. |
| Criminal cases | Felonies after bindover and district-level proceedings. | Misdemeanors, infractions, initial appearances, preliminary felony matters. | Not a separate local court level in Idaho research. |
| Civil and family | Larger civil matters and appeals from magistrate. | Small claims, lower civil, divorce, protection orders, juvenile, probate. | Use District Court/Magistrate Division access path. |
| Records access | iCourt, courthouse kiosk, court clerk request. | Same iCourt, kiosk, and clerk route. | No separate database located. |
Lincoln County Case Flow
Case movement depends on case type. Infractions and many misdemeanors begin and often stay in the Magistrate Division. Felony cases usually begin with an initial appearance and preliminary hearing before a magistrate. If bound over, the felony proceeds in District Court. Probate, guardianship, conservatorship, divorce, juvenile, small claims, protection orders, and many lower civil cases are magistrate-division work.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › Initial appearance › Preliminary hearing for felony cases › Bindover if probable cause is found › District Court arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or trial › Disposition and sentence › Appeal.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint filed › Service › Answer or response › Motions and hearings › Trial or agreement › Order, decree, or judgment › Appeal if allowed.
Probate flow: Petition or application › Notice › Appointment of personal representative, guardian, or conservator if approved › Inventory or reports › Orders › Closing or continuing supervision.
Lincoln County District Court Cases
District judges handle felony cases after bindover, larger civil cases, appeals from magistrate decisions, and other general-jurisdiction trial matters. Magistrate judges handle the everyday lower-court work: misdemeanors, infractions, small civil claims, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, divorce, juvenile matters, protection orders, and felony preliminary proceedings. Court records from both levels use the Idaho Judicial Branch access structure.
Magistrate Judge Cheri L. Hicks has a local directory page that lists Law and Motion Day every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. The assigned Magistrate Judge Hicks source supports local hearing-copy and docket-reading context.
Law and motion timing is useful when checking hearing entries, but parties should still verify their own case calendar through iCourt or the court clerk.
- Bindover
- Transfer of a felony case from preliminary magistrate proceedings to District Court after the required finding or waiver.
- Disposition
- The result of a case or charge, such as dismissal, guilty plea, judgment, or sentence.
- Magistrate Division
- The lower trial function within Idaho District Court for many county-level matters.
Fifth Judicial District Records
The Fifth Judicial District is the regional structure for Lincoln County District Court. Appeals from magistrate decisions generally go to the District Court. Final district-court judgments may be appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court, with many cases assigned to the Idaho Court of Appeals. Federal cases are different and are not handled by Lincoln County District Court or the Idaho Judicial Branch.
Court data and statewide context may also come from Idaho Court Data, but that source is for dashboards and court statistics rather than certified Lincoln County case documents.
Use dashboard material for broad court context, not as a substitute for the filed case record held through the court system.
Lincoln County District Court Access
General case lookup starts with iCourt. Idaho Judicial Branch guidance says public users can search general case information there, while records from a court case can require a courthouse kiosk or a request to the clerk where the case was filed. Lincoln County court records requests go to courtclerks at lincolncountyid.gov. The court counter is at 111 W B St, Ste C, Shoshone, and court office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Payments can be mailed to Lincoln County Court at 111 W. B Street, Suite C, Shoshone, ID 83352, or made by phone at (208) 886-2173 by credit or debit card with a convenience fee. Eligible cases may also be paid through iCourt. Online payment is limited for collection-status cases, sealed cases, and mandatory-appearance cases before the required appearance. Always check the case before paying because payment alone may not resolve a warrant, hold, or required court date.
Note: Courtroom and court services conduct rules were adopted locally by Fifth Judicial District administrative order dated January 30, 2025.