Idaho
Idaho AG asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear state’s gender care coverage ban case • Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit challenging the state’s law banning public funds from covering gender-affirming health care.
The new law took effect in July, banning Idaho Medicaid and public funds from covering gender-affirming medication and surgeries.
Transgender and nonbinary Idahoans on Medicaid who sued in 2022 — alleging Idaho Medicaid has an unwritten policy of denying or delaying gender-affirming care coverage — this year amended their lawsuit to seek to block the new law.
Labrador asked the Supreme Court to review if refusing coverage for sex-reassignment surgeries violates the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
Labrador filed his request for U.S. Supreme Court review, formally called a petition for writ of certiorari, on Dec. 5. That was a day after the nation’s highest court heard oral arguments in a case challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, called United States v. Skrmetti.
Petitions for writ of certiorari are a process to appeal lower court decisions directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court hardly approves such requests; each term, the court hears oral arguments in about 80 among the 7,000-8,000 petitions filed, SCOTUSblog reports. Approval requires votes by four of the nine justices.
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What Labrador’s cert petition requests
Labrador’s request asked the court to hold his petition until the Tennessee case is decided since “this question will likely be answered by Skrmetti.”
The request then asks the court to remand Idaho’s case to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision in September denying Idaho officials “qualified immunity.”
The suit from Tennessee already before the Supreme Court deals with “substantively identical issues” to Idaho’s, Idaho Office of the Attorney General spokesperson Dan Estes told the Idaho Capital Sun in a statement.
“Multiple circuit courts have ruled over the last two years that states can regulate sex reassignment treatments without violating the Constitution,” Estes said in a statement. “We hope the Supreme Court will agree and issue a ruling confirming the constitutionality of Idaho’s alleged policy of not covering sex reassignment surgeries under Medicaid.”
In July, federal judge Raymond E. Patricco, chief magistrate judge in the District of Idaho, issued a temporary restraining order that had blocked Idaho’s new law only for the seven suing patients in the lawsuit, but the order expired.
On Nov. 22, Patricco heard oral arguments on whether to grant a preliminary injunction, a broader, longer-lasting legal block against the law. He has not yet issued his ruling.
What Idaho’s law does
The bill creating the new law — House Bill 668 — was approved by all but one Idaho Republican state legislator this spring before Gov. Brad Little signed it into law.
Bill sponsors argued the bill ensures that taxpayer dollars are not inappropriately used. Opponents said major medical groups say gender-affirming care is medically necessary and safe, and warned that the law could lead to a lawsuit.
According to the law, public funds cannot cover hormone therapy, puberty blockers or surgical procedures for the purpose “to affirm the individual’s perception” of their sex. But the law outlines other coverage of the procedures still legally allowed.
In response to the new law, Health West, the go-to gender-affirming care clinic in eastern Idaho, stopped providing gender-affirming care. The move appeared to be driven by fears of losing funding, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
How much does gender-affirming care cost Idaho taxpayers? Health agency hasn’t said.
It isn’t clear how many Idaho Medicaid patients receive gender-affirming care. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has declined to answer questions about gender care coverage and costs, citing the litigation — but has said the agency hasn’t covered “any surgeries for gender dysphoria for adults or youth.”
Around 350,000 Idahoans are on Medicaid, which largely covers low-income and disabled people. Gender nonconforming people are at higher risk for being in a lower socio-economic status, a study in February found.
Less than 1% of Idaho’s population is transgender — or about 7,000 Idaho adults and 1,000 Idahoans age 13 and up, according to estimates from the University of California-Los Angeles.
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Cert petition Labrador MH v. Adams 12-5-24
BOISE, Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun) — Day use access fees at all Idaho state parks will be waived for Idaho residents on July 4 as part of a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, Gov. Brad Little announced Friday, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.
“As we prepare to mark 250 years of American independence, there is no better way to celebrate than by getting outside with our loved ones and enjoying the freedoms and natural treasures that define our great nation,” Little said Friday. “Idaho’s state parks showcase the very best of our state, and we are proud to welcome families, friends and visitors to explore them free of charge during this special occasion.”
While day use fees for Idaho residents will be waived, normal camping and reservation fees will apply, officials said.
Idaho has 28 state parks, which offer a variety of recreational and outdoor activities including hiking, horseback riding, skiing, bird watching, rock climbing, fishing, boating, swimming, bicycling and more.
State officials with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation are in the process of unveiling improvements and enhancements at several state parks, including Lucky Peak State Park outside of Boise, which recently opened a new dog beach and accessible kayak launch on the Boise River.
Other state parks include Bruneau Dunes State Park and Observatory, Harriman State Park, Bear Lake State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve, which is a national reserve and state park that attracts climbers from all over the world to its dramatic granite rock spires.
Little said the July 4 fee waiver is a part of a larger effort to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed in 1776.
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We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
Inside The Arrest of 3 Venezuelan Fraudsters
What on earth was happening in Eagle this week?
Gallery Credit: Credit: Mateo, 103.5 KISS FM
It’s Not Hard To See Why This Idaho Police Photoshoot Is Going Viral
The Jerome Police Department is going viral thanks to Twin Falls photographer, Layton Henderson. Once you see the hilarious photos, you’ll see why!
Gallery Credit: Chris Cardenas
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