District of Idaho

Judge B. Lynn Winmill was appointed a United States District Judge for the District of Idaho by President William J. Clinton on August 14, 1995, and entered duty on August 16, 1995. He graduated from Idaho State University in 1974 and from Harvard Law School in 1977. Upon graduation, he practiced law in Denver, Colorado, from 1977-1979, and in Pocatello, Idaho, from 1979 to 1987. Judge Winmill was then appointed as a district judge for the Sixth Judicial District of the State of Idaho in 1987, and served as Administrative District Judge for the Sixth Judicial District from 1992 to 1995.  He served as Chairman of the Idaho Evidence Rules Advisory Committee from 1992 to 1995.

Judge Winmill actively supports legal education, having taught courses in criminal procedure and legal history as an adjunct professor at Idaho State University from 1991 to 1995. He has also served for several years as adjunct faculty for the University of Idaho School of Law, teaching a course in Complex Civil Litigation. Judge Winmill participated in the creation of the Idaho Legal History Society and the Idaho Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He continues to support both of those programs. 

Judge Winmill has been actively involved in judicial education.  He has served as a mentor judge at the Federal Judicial Center’s training program for new District Judges.  He has served as an instructor at judicial education programs on the management of complex litigation, trial practice, general case management and judicial use of technology. He has also been involved in training judges and prosecutors from other countries, including Jordan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Russia, and Indonesia. 

Judge Winmill has served as Chief Judge for the District of Idaho from July of 1999, through December 31, 2018. In addition to those duties, Judge Winmill previously served on the Information Technology Committee for the Judicial Conference of the United States, and has also served as Chair of the Ninth Circuit Information Technology Committee. He previously chaired the Ninth Circuit Conference of Chief District Judges, and is a past President of the Ninth  Circuit District Judges Association.  He currently serves on the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and on the national board of the Federal Judges Association.