For someone who isn’t a lawyer – and never had a desire to be – Darrell Bolz has played a huge role in supporting the rights of all people in Idaho to get a fair trial.

Bolz’ background might be in agriculture, but it’s his instinct to govern for all Idahoans that led the State Public Defender’s to name our annual week-long public defense college after him – and we have the water bottle to prove it!

Bolz spent the last decade working to preserve the rights of indigent Idahoans as a member of the Public Defense Commission (PDC), which permanently disbanded on July 1 as their employees joined the State Public Defender office. 

Bolz, who represented District 10 (Caldwell) in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2000 to 2014, spent much of his professional career working for the University of Idaho Extension Office as an agriculture expert.

He got interested in public defense as a member of the House’s Joint-Finance Appropriations (JFAC) and Judiciary and Rules committees during his 14-year-term in the Legislature.

That’s when he realized how important it was for Idaho to have a robust public defense system – and how important it was to allocate resources in the most efficient way.

His wit, wisdom and pragmatic approach to governance made him an excellent fit for the newly-established Public Defense Commission when he left the Idaho Legislature in 2014.

Bolz served with distinction – including his stint as chairman – for a decade until the PDC ended last month. With the PDC’s work now being done by the State Public Defender Office, the board is no longer needed.

Public Defense Commission Executive Director Kathleen Elliott told Bolz about the re-naming of the college during the PDC’s final meeting and presented him with his official water bottle – a fitting way to honor the work he has done leading the committee to improve public defense over the last decade.

The Darrell Bolz Public Defense College is an annual, week-long seminar the SPD does in conjunction with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) and more than two dozen faculty, including local and national experts, to provide rigorous training emphasizing trial skills, client-centered strategies, and how to build supportive networks. Lawyers who participate in the college develop and hone trial skills working on a single case problem. It is open to all attorneys practicing public defense in Idaho.