A federal appellate judge based in Idaho now faces two misdemeanor charges following a physical altercation in an Idaho Falls parking lot this spring, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed it is conducting a formal misconduct inquiry into his conduct.
Judge Ryan D. Nelson, appointed by President Donald Trump to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018, pleaded not guilty on May 13 to misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor malicious injury to property. The charges stem from an April 2, 2026, confrontation in the parking lot outside Brio Home Health and Hospice in Idaho Falls.
What Investigators Say Happened
According to a probable cause affidavit, the dispute began over a parking disagreement. Nelson allegedly took another man’s sunglasses and threw them across the lot, then attempted to knock a phone from the other man’s hand. He then crushed the glasses beneath his foot.
The affidavit also states that Nelson challenged the other man to fight.
When questioned by an investigating officer, Nelson acknowledged that he had knocked the other man’s glasses off but maintained he had not made physical contact with the person. He did, however, admit to stomping on the glasses.
Video footage of the incident has since been released publicly, adding visibility to a case that has drawn attention both locally and within federal judicial circles.
Ninth Circuit Opens Misconduct Proceedings
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a public statement confirming that Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia is overseeing a judicial misconduct complaint related to the incident. Under federal law, the details of misconduct proceedings are kept confidential, so the substance of what the inquiry will examine or when it might conclude remains undisclosed.
The dual tracks — criminal misdemeanor charges in state court and a judicial misconduct review through the federal court system — place Nelson in an unusual and legally complicated position. A sitting federal appellate judge faces lifetime tenure under the Constitution, meaning the misconduct process operates largely independently of state criminal proceedings.
Nelson was nominated to the Ninth Circuit by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate in 2018. The Ninth Circuit covers nine western states including Idaho and is one of the largest and most consequential federal appellate courts in the country.
What Comes Next
Nelson’s not-guilty plea means the misdemeanor case will proceed through the Idaho state court system. Battery and malicious injury to property at the misdemeanor level carry potential penalties including fines and possible jail time, though sentences in misdemeanor cases often fall well short of maximum statutory limits.
On the federal side, Chief Judge Murguia’s inquiry will move forward under the confidentiality requirements established by federal judicial conduct statutes. The public may not learn the findings of that process unless the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit determines that a public order or statement is warranted.
No trial date in the misdemeanor case has been publicly announced. The Idaho Falls community, which sits within the jurisdiction Nelson serves on the federal bench, will be watching both proceedings as they develop. Bonneville County residents with cases before the Ninth Circuit may have questions about whether Nelson’s status affects pending judicial matters — though courts have established procedures for recusal and case reassignment when a judge’s circumstances warrant it.
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