Idaho
Judge limits enforcement of Idaho’s transgender bathroom access law
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A federal judge on June 16 barred Idaho from fully enforcing a new state law making it a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, for transgender people to use public restrooms whose designations differ from their sex assigned at birth.
The Idaho statute, the most restrictive among various laws enacted in about 20 U.S. states limiting access of transgender people to bathrooms conforming with their gender identity, was due to go into effect on July 1.
But U.S. District Judge Amanda Brailsford, sitting in Boise, Idaho’s capital, granted a preliminary injunction curtailing the measure’s enforcement while a class-action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the statute proceeds.
Brailsford’s order allows transgender individuals to continue using single-stall restrooms matching their gender identity, or to use a multi-stall restroom when a single-stall facility is not available on the same floor of a building. Otherwise, the state is free to enforce the law as it applies to multi-user bathrooms, as well as to portions of the law covering public locker rooms and shower facilities, which were not subject to the court challenge.
While the plaintiffs sought a narrowly tailored injunction temporarily barring only what they viewed as the most onerous parts of the statute, they seek a final court ruling that would throw out all restroom restrictions in their entirety.
The thrust of the lawsuit argues that the statute violates the plaintiffs’ rights to due process, equal protection, and privacy under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In her 30-page opinion, Brailsford sided with the plaintiffs on the question of due process, finding them likely to prevail on their claim that law enforcement provisions of the measure are unconstitutionally vague.
That finding alone was sufficient, she said, to override the state’s public safety arguments and issue an injunction without yet considering plaintiffs’ privacy and equal protection claims.
Judge not swayed by state’s safety claims
Proponents of the new law have asserted that it aims to make public bathrooms safer and to prevent sexual assault or voyeurism in women’s restrooms by men posing as transgender.
The judge agreed that the state has a valid interest in “promoting bodily privacy and protecting women and children in public restrooms from those who may seek to do harm,” but ruled that those concerns can be addressed by existing criminal laws “without infringing upon plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.”
The plaintiffs have argued that rather than make public restrooms safer, the measure will instead expose transgender people to “likely violence, harassment and psychological harm.”
The Republican-controlled Idaho legislature “relied on inaccurate beliefs and stereotypes about transgender people” in crafting the statute, “conflating transgender people with sexual predators,” the lawsuit asserts.
Idaho is one of about 20 states with some form of bathroom access restrictions for transgender people on the books, according to a tally by the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that advocates for LGBTQ rights.
Just three other states besides Idaho — Utah, Kansas, and Florida — use the threat of incarceration to enforce such laws. But Idaho’s measure is broader in scope and carries tougher criminal penalties than the others.
The statute makes it a crime to enter a restroom, changing room, or shower designated for the opposite biological sex in government buildings, restaurants, stores, and other private businesses when those facilities are open to the public.
The first offense under the new restrictions would be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail, while a second offense within five years would be a felony, carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence.
Idaho passed two previous laws curbing access to bathrooms in public schools and on college campuses to students whose birth sex corresponds to the gender designation of the facility in question, and seeks to enforce those by allowing students to sue if they encounter a transgender person in violation.
Both those statutes are under legal challenge and remain in effect as they wend their way through the courts.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; editing by Kate Mayberry)
EDITOR’S NOTE: “From the Field” is a weekly newsletter bringing you the latest agriculture news in eastern Idaho.
IDAHO FALLS – As the federal farm bill advances to the U.S. Senate, farmers in eastern Idaho are dealing with one of the worst water shortages in decades and rising commodity prices.
The Farm, Food and National Security Act (HR 7567), which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in April with a vote of 224-200, is the latest iteration of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. The 976-page document addresses many aspects of agriculture.
Jamie Kress, a dryland farmer from Rockland who serves as president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, tells EastIdahoNews.com many of the issues in the bill are intertwined, and that means that “all of it matters” and it’s essential to Idaho’s agricultural economy.
“It provides a tremendous amount of structure to our industry, and it’s all needed,” Kress says. “It’s a big bill, and it’s complicated, but there’s a reason it’s as significant as it is.”
While there isn’t anything in the bill that can help with Idaho’s current water situation, Kress says some parts of it can help address the high price of commodities. Title 1 provides a safety net against income volatility, weather disasters and market disruptions.
Although the bill expired in 2023, it has been extended each year for the past three years. The 2026 update reauthorizes funding for crop insurance programs, low-interest farm loans for land acquisition, or incentives for conservation.
Amid the current challenges, many farmers are facing difficult decisions and have an increased need for these resources. Justin Place farms more than 1,200 acres in Hamer. He says farmers who are unable to plant a crop due to the water shortage are applying for crop insurance to mitigate the loss.
Though some adjustments were made in 2025 to decrease the disparity between production costs and commodity prices, Kress says the data used to create the 2018 bill is now more than 15 years old. The 2026 payments to farmers enrolled in safety net programs fall short because it doesn’t reflect current operating conditions.
“Even with those payments, most producers will still not break even,” says Kress. “It makes it doable to stay in business, but it is not a wealth builder.”
Place says that while relying on government handouts is not ideal, farmers need a place to turn to make things work during times of uncertainty.
“When you have low commodity prices, you need whatever can help things get along,” Place says.
Kress says another important aspect of the farm bill for Idaho is Title 3, which addresses trade. Idaho’s wheat market ranks in the top five nationwide. Kress says about 100 million bushels are grown annually in 42 of the state’s 44 counties. About half of its annual wheat crop is exported to the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and other countries throughout the Pacific Rim. A lot of wheat is also shipped to Mexico.
Title 3 of the farm bill helps broaden the reach of global agriculture exports and promote innovation and economic growth within the industry.
“It’s very important when we look at trade to ensure that we continue having that flow of wheat leaving the state,” Kress says.
Agricultural diversity is one of the Gem State’s distinguishing features, and Kress says the farm bill helps to keep as many food producers in business as possible and sustain the population.
“It provides certainty in a very uncertain industry,” says Kress. “We’re always looking forward in agriculture … and not having something like the farm bill in place creates unease, and that’s difficult.”
Kress and Place are hoping Congress will pass the bill soon. Kress anticipates that HR 7567 will be referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee sometime after July 4.
AG AT-A-GLANCE
New University of Idaho program trains veterans for farming careers
The following is taken from a news release from the University of Idaho.
BOISE – University of Idaho Extension is launching a new incarnation of its Harvest Heroes program to prepare military veterans for careers in small-scale agriculture.
Extension is establishing a farm incubator for military veterans at Spaulding Ranch Park — a 20-acre, historic homestead owned and maintained by Boise Parks and Recreation. Participating veterans will work alongside Extension to grow a market garden, receiving regular hands-on instruction from experts, guest presenters and mentors.
The program will also offer flexible online training and monthly intensive workshops. Enrollment is free and ongoing for veterans and their families, who will have season-long access to an orchard, a beekeeping apiary, a weekly onsite farmers market and accessible gardens featuring adaptive gardening technology for those with disabilities.
Following a season of working together on the community plot, graduates will manage their own incubator plots to advance their farm business ideas with support and minimal risk.
Produce grown by the Harvest Heroes program will be shared among participants and distributed through organizations supporting food insecure veterans and community members.
To get involved or learn more, email harvestheroes@uidaho.edu.
If you have a From the Field story idea, send it to rett@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use ‘From the Field’ in the subject line.
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A young black bear that wandered into a Nampa neighborhood ended up getting a second chance in the wild after Idaho Fish and Game crews safely captured and relocated it.
On Sunday, June 14, Idaho Fish and Game enforcement officers and biologists responded to a report of a black bear in a tree in a residential area in Nampa. Working with the Nampa Police and Fire Departments, Fish and Game staff sedated the yearling male black bear, loaded it into a trap, and transported it to a suitable release location in Unit 32A, north of Ola.
Fish and Game said the bear was a yearling “probably recently kicked off by a sow” and was trying to survive on its own. The bear had not caused any issues or conflicts that staff were aware of, was not food-conditioned, and “very clearly had an appropriate fear of humans,” which factored into the decision to relocate it.
“It’s not an everyday, or even yearly, occurrence for a bear to end up roaming a Treasure Valley neighborhood, and it’s even rarer for us to relocate one,” said Regional Wildlife Manager Ryan Walrath. “Often, euthanizing a bear in town is our only option.”
Fish and Game said that by the time staff hear about bears in town, they have often been causing problems for a while, have been receiving food rewards from human sources, and have lost an appropriate fear of people. In those circumstances, relocating a bear could lead to continued conflicts and create a potential public safety risk. The agency also noted that chemically immobilizing and attempting to relocate large animals poses risks to the public, the animal and Fish and Game staff.
“Our priority is public safety and the safety of our staff, followed by the safety of the animal,” said Regional Supervisor Josh Royse. “We don’t always have the resources to mitigate those risks to an acceptable level, but in this case, we did. It is rare that we can do anything other than euthanize a bear that is in a place that we don’t want it. This was one of those very rare exceptions, and we took advantage of it.”
Fish and Game also warned it could be a busy year for bears turning up in Treasure Valley communities. Wildlife biologists in Southwest Idaho are seeing more reports of bears in town than usual, and earlier than usual, this year, likely influenced by current drought conditions.
“We wouldn’t be shocked to see even more bears in places they wouldn’t normally be as we get into late summer and early fall, as we expect that natural food sources will be harder to come by,” Walrath said.
Fish and Game urged residents to reduce attractants that can draw bears into neighborhoods. Recommendations include removing bird feeders between April and mid-November, feeding pets inside, putting trash cans out the morning of pickup day instead of the night before, and not keeping coolers, refrigerators or freezers outside. If a bear has already found food at a home, residents should take those steps right away; Fish and Game said the bear will likely return a couple more times, but will eventually move on if it finds no food.
Residents are also encouraged to promptly report bear problems to their local Fish and Game office. Fish and Game said early reports can give staff more options and allow them to provide homeowners with information to make neighborhoods less attractive to bears. If you see a bear in town, report it to the Southwest Region Office in Nampa at 208-465-8465.
REXBURG, Idaho — In 2030, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will commemorate the bicentennial of the organization of the Church. It will also commemorate the beginning of the Savior’s mortal ministry 2,000 years ago.
“This convergence will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” noted Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
As Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught in October 2024 general conference, “These events will result in extraordinary opportunities to serve, to unite with members and friends and to introduce The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to more people than ever before.”
To thousands of BYU–Idaho students gathered in the I–Center auditorium on Sunday, June 14, Elder Caussé issued a simple invitation: “Be prepared.”
To read the full story, visit TheChurchNews.com.
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