Idaho has a unified court system, which means that all state courts are administered and supervised by the Idaho Supreme Court. The source of this authority is Article 5, Section 2 of the Idaho State Constitution, which states: "The courts shall constitute a unified and integrated judicial system for administration and supervision by the Supreme Court". Just as the Governor is the head of the executive branch of government, the Idaho Supreme Court is the head of the judicial branch of government. However, the courts are unique in that they are funded in part by the state of Idaho and by cities and counties. As an example, judges are paid by the state while deputy court clerks are county employees paid by the county.
The Supreme Court, as the supervisor of the entire court system, establishes statewide rules and policies for the operation of its functions and that of the district courts. The state is divided into seven judicial districts, each encompassing four to ten counties. This regional structure is designed to delegate authority to the judicial districts and to insure their participation in policy decisions while maintaining uniform, statewide rules and procedures. An administrative district judge, chosen by the other district judges in the district, performs a number of administrative duties in addition to handling a judicial case load. The administrative district judge, assisted by a trial court administrator, manages court operations in the district, assigns judges to cases, and coordinates activities of the clerks of the district courts. Final recommendations for local court budgets and facilities are made by the administrative judge, as well as personnel decisions for the district. Local rules of practice and procedure are recommended to the Supreme Court by the administrative judge with the concurrence of the other district judges. The administrative judge also jointly supervises the deputy clerks of the district courts. The administrative judge additionally serves as chair of the district magistrates commission, a representative body of county commissioners, mayors, citizens, and private attorneys which, among other things, appoints magistrate judges to their initial terms of office.