Opinion ID: 1241152
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: R.C.P. 83(u)(1) provides:

Text: The scope of appellate review on an appeal to the district court shall be as follows: (1) Upon an appeal from the magistrate's division of the district court, not involving a trial de novo, the district court shall review the case on the record and determine the appeal as an appellate court in the same manner and upon the same standards of review as an appeal from the district court to the Supreme Court under the statutes and law of this state, and the appellate rules of the Supreme Court.... [Amended January 8, 1976, effective March 1, 1976.] In Hawkins v. Hawkins, 99 Idaho 785, 589 P.2d 532 (1978), we read this rule as stating that a district court should perform the appellate review of a magistrate's decision in the same manner as this Court performs its appellate review of the trial decision of a district court. Furthermore, I.R.C.P. 83(u)(2) empowers the district court in an appellate review to hear additional evidence on one or more issues. In Koester, supra, this Court held: [T]hat where the district court chooses to handle an appeal as an appellate review and then elects to hear additional evidence on one or more issues, these issues affected by the additional evidence shall be treated as if involving a trial de novo. In other words, to the extent that the new evidence affects the decision of the magistrate, the district court shall act as a trial court. Where the additional evidence admitted by the district court does not affect the determination of the magistrate, the district court shall act as an appellate court. On further appeal to this court from the determination of the district court where additional evidence is presented pursuant to I.R.C.P. 83(u)(2), the new matters affecting the magistrate's determination will be scrutinized by this court according to the same standard of review as other appeals from the district court. However, where the district court's review of the magistrate's determination is not affected by the new matters presented to the district court, our review of the district court will be as though the district court was an intermediate appellate court. Id. 99 Idaho at 656-57, 586 P.2d at 1372-73. I.C. § 16-1806(8) [2] as added by 1977 Idaho Session Laws ch. 165, § 2, p. 427, and hence applicable, sets forth the factors on which the magistrate must base his decision about the petition for waiver of jurisdiction. This Court has recognized in State v. Christensen, 100 Idaho 631, 603 P.2d 586 (1979) that I.C. § 16-1806(8)(g) makes the amount of weight to be given each factor discretionary with the juvenile court and allows the waiver decision to be based on any one or a combination of the factors set forth in I.C. § 16-1806(8). In the case at bar, the district court chose to review the decision of the magistrate as an appellate court and then elected to hear additional evidence regarding the availability of juvenile rehabilitation programs. Based on the additional evidence, the district court found that an adequate juvenile rehabilitation program was no longer available for Dillard. We find substantial and competent evidence to support the district court's de novo finding regarding the additional evidence. The magistrate stated that the availability of an adequate juvenile rehabilitation program was a factor on which he relied in weighing the factors to make his decision. Since the additional evidence affected the weighing process, it was appropriate for the district court to weigh de novo the factors considered by the magistrate along with the factor on which additional evidence had been admitted. In doing so, it was discretionary with the district court to base its decision on any one or a combination of these factors pursuant to I.C. § 16-1806(8). In accordance with Koester, supra, the district court was required to accept those findings of the magistrate which were unaffected by the additional evidence. We find no abuse of discretion and affirm the district court. BAKES, C.J., and McFADDEN and SHEPARD, JJ., concur.