COEUR d'ALENE - Becoming a judge was always Clark Peterson's dream. On Friday, he reached it, taking an oath to serve as Kootenai County's newest Magistrate Judge. "With this achievement, I've achieved my lifelong goal," Peterson told the roughly 100 friends, family and colleagues at his investiture ceremony at the Kootenai County Courthouse.

COEUR d'ALENE - Becoming a judge was always Clark Peterson's dream.

On Friday, he reached it, taking an oath to serve as Kootenai County's newest Magistrate Judge.

"With this achievement, I've achieved my lifelong goal," Peterson told the roughly 100 friends, family and colleagues at his investiture ceremony at the Kootenai County Courthouse.

Peterson was selected for the seat vacated by the selection of Judge Benjamin Simpson to 1st District Court. Peterson had been an attorney at Amendola and Doty in Coeur d'Alene.

"I have big shoes to fill, however I'm very lucky to stand on the shoulders on giants," Peterson told the dozen judges on hand for the ceremony. "It's my great hope I can bring an understanding heart to the bench."

Peterson's wife, Donna, helped Peterson into his robe after he took his oath, fulfilling the investiture tradition.

"I'm extremely proud of him," Donna said. "I know he'll work very hard at the position, it's the way he is."

"I know we made the right choice," Kootenai County Commissioner Rick Currie told Donna after the ceremony.

After graduating high school in southern California in 1985, Peterson attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia and Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, before working in the Clark County District Attorney's Office in Las Vegas. He moved to Coeur d'Alene in 2005 with his wife and daughter.

First District Judge John Luster introduced Peterson before the ceremony. Luster told Peterson the new judge should always keep in mind the people whose lives were going to change with his future decisions.

"Don't take yourself too seriously," Luster also joked to Peterson. "As a new judge you'll quickly discover you'll be surrounded suddenly by people who continually tell you what a great person you are. Once you begin to believe this you will become a lost soul."