Idaho
An end to an Idaho lawsuit on grizzly bears raises questions about delisting
A lawsuit over the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s killing of three grizzly bears in Eastern Idaho has been settled, with potential implications beyond the state’s borders.
A Montana-based nonprofit, Save the Yellowstone Grizzly, filed suit against Fish and Game and the federal government after the state killed a sow and two cubs near Tetonia in November 2021.
“They were not getting into the garbage. They were not threatening or harassing people,” said Graham Coppes, an attorney representing the advocacy group.
The lawsuit alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act, including claims that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) illegally authorized the killing of the sow and one cub and that Idaho killed the second cub without USFWS approval. The federal agency had a potential relocation site for the cub in mind.
In response, Idaho Fish and Game acknowledged that the federal agency had concerns about killing the bears and had urged the state to pursue non-lethal options. Idaho said it attempted to dart and trap the remaining cub as part of these efforts.
However, the state said that the USFWS “did not make it clear to Idaho that [it] would consider lethal removal of the second young bear to be unauthorized if non-lethal methods were unsuccessful.”
According to Fish and Game, the bears, which had recently been relocated from Gardiner, Mont., were wandering near a rural subdivision and posed a risk to public safety.
Additionally, Idaho filed a counterclaim against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying the state shouldn’t be subject to the Endangered Species Act for these bears, which it contends don’t qualify for protection.
“Because they have recovered,” said Kathleen Trever, a deputy attorney general. “And, the entity that is on the list does not meet the definition of a species that is [protected].”
Grizzly bears have been listed as “threatened” under the ESA since 1975. A year ago, the federal government rejected Idaho’s petition to delist grizzly bears across the contiguous U.S., saying it “failed to present any credible scientific” information. At the same time, it moved forward with other petitions to consider delisting in two specific recovery areas, including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
However, the settlement in this case could effectively open the door to delisting across the lower 48 once again. Under the agreement, the USFWS will revise or remove protections for the bears by Jan. 31, 2026.
“This action will allow the Service to evaluate the listed entity for grizzly bears in the lower 48 within a modern ESA framework,” USFWS spokesperson Joe Szuszwalak wrote in an email, “including consideration of updated science, additional information, and policies enacted since the entity was listed in 1975, including the Service’s 1996 policy for evaluating distinct population segments for listing, delisting, and reclassification under the ESA.”
The process will involve proposed rulemaking and a public comment period.
The fact that USFWS will now reconsider Idaho’s delisting request concerns some conservation advocates, including Kristine Akland, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, who was not involved with the case.
“It’s an incredibly unfortunate result of this lawsuit,” Akland said.
Still, Coppes, the attorney for Save the Yellowstone Grizzly, noted that the USFWS could end up making only a minimal change to the ESA listing. It’ll still need to follow the science, he said. Also, under the settlement, Idaho confirmed that it would seek an agreement with the USFWS before lethally removing any ESA-listed bear.
Meanwhile, federal officials announced plans last week to reintroduce grizzly bears to North Cascades National Park in Washington, and they are considering reintroduction efforts in the Bitterroot Recovery Area, which includes parts of Montana and Idaho.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen
Copyright 2024 Boise State Public Radio
Idaho
Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances
For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.
The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.
Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.
Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.
Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.
“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.
Doing so is a risk, he said.
“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.
Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.
But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.
Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.
Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.
“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.
The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.
House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
Idaho
University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders
A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.
A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.
Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”
“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.
“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”
Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.
Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.
The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.
Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.
Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”
The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.
Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.
In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.
During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.
However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.
She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.
It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.
The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.
With Post wires
Idaho
Gas prices expected to exceed $3 as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages
BOISE, Idaho — AAA is warning Idaho gas consumers that pump prices will likely rise as the conflict in Iran disrupts oil and gas supply chains worldwide.
The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will likely push the price for a gallon of regular gasoline past the $3 mark over the coming days.
“On one hand, the crude oil market had time to account for some financial risk in the Middle East as forces mobilized, but a supply shortage somewhere affects the global picture,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “If tankers can’t move products through the region, there could be ripple effects.”
On Monday, March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.97, reports AAA, which is 12 cents more expensive than it was a month ago but 20 cents less than this time last year.
State / Price: 1 gallon of regular gasoline
- Washington / $4.37
- Oregon / $3.92
- Nevada / $3.70
- Idaho / $2.97
- Colorado / $2.89
- Montana / $2.82
- Utah / $2.74
- Wyoming / $2.73
In terms of the most expensive fuel in the nation, Idaho currently ranks #14. However, buying a gallon of regular gas in neighboring states such as Oregon and Washington could cost a whole dollar more. In contrast, gas prices in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming are anywhere between 15 to 24 cents cheaper than fuel in the Gem State.
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