Idaho
Local prosecutor pushing university to expand law school to eastern Idaho – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS — A local prosecutor is calling on the University of Idaho to expand its law school to the Idaho Falls campus.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal submitted a letter to the University of Idaho President Scott Green and the University of Idaho Dean of the College of Law Aviva Abramovsky on Saturday, addressing the lack of opportunities for eastern Idahoans to pursue law and asking school leaders to consider adding a law school to eastern Idaho.
“Over the past few years, the legal profession has seen a critical shortfall in lawyers to meet the needs of the state of Idaho,” writes Neal in the letter. “The public sector has been especially hit hard. We have had to significantly increase salaries and still struggle to recover from having less than half of our authorized attorney positions filled.”
In a news release, Neal notes an interest in law degrees in eastern Idaho, but many cannot move out of the area.
“There are people in this area who want to attend law school, but they cannot leave the area for years to accomplish the goal,” writes Neal. “The University of Idaho has shown that distance learning can expand opportunities to attend law school in a place other than just the Moscow campus.”
The University of Idaho has two campuses for the law school in Moscow and Boise. Neal says he hopes the university will consider using the Idaho Falls extension campus as a place for a future law school.
“Here in Idaho Falls, the University of Idaho has underutilized facilities. I believe there would also be a substantial cadre of adjunct resources available from the local legal community,” writes Neal. “With the COVID accommodations a few years ago and the success of the Boise campus, the U of I College of Law has become much more adept at distance learning.”
Neal also told the university leaders that members of his staff are hoping to start working toward a law degree but says it would hurt the prosecutor’s office to lose them.
“In my own office, I have five administrative staff members who are eager to attend law school,” say Neal. “We want to support their progression, but they would have to leave the area for years in order to attain such a goal. This would further affect us negatively.”
Neal said there are many ways to help this idea become a reality.
“With every ounce of urgency, I implore the University to explore eastern Idaho options for a part-time law school opportunity in our area,” writes Neal. “This need not be the same type of grand undertaking seen in Boise and could take in a class every three years as opposed to every year, for example.”
Read the entire letter here.
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PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
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