Idaho

University of Idaho law professor sues school for racial and gender discrimination

A black female law professor alleging race and gender discrimination in employment and education has filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Idaho College of Law. In her complaint filed June 19 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, Shaakirrah Sanders, the first black person to…

Jun 24, 2019 2:40 PM CDT

Probationer must wear charm bracelet to deter drug and alcohol use, federal judge says

A federal judge in Boise, Idaho, has ordered a drug defendant to wear a charm bracelet with pictures of her children. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge told Jennifer Fanopoulos she had to wear the bracelet as a condition of probation. The intent was to deter Fanopoulos “from reaching for drugs…

Apr 30, 2019 10:49 AM CDT

Lawsuit over killing of Idaho gray wolves can proceed, 9th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services for killing gray wolves in mountainous parts of Idaho without updating the potential impact under the National Environmental Policy Act. In its opinion, filed April 23, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at…

Apr 25, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Full 9th Circuit won’t review decision barring prosecution of homeless for sleeping on public property

A federal appeals court has left undisturbed a decision holding that homeless people can’t be prosecuted for sleeping on public property unless alternative shelter is available.

Apr 5, 2019 9:18 AM CDT

State supreme court finds Medicaid expansion constitutional

The Idaho Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a voter-approved initiative that allows anyone who makes less than 138 percent of poverty-level income to qualify for Medicaid coverage. The court ruled against the Idaho Freedom Foundation, which alleged that Proposition 2 gave too much power to the federal government and the…

Feb 6, 2019 3:13 PM CST

New 9th Circuit judge was found guilty of speeding nine times since 2003

A newly confirmed federal appeals judge has been cited for speeding a dozen times over the last two decades, leading to findings or pleas of guilty in nine cases, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ryan Nelson, an Idaho lawyer who is general counsel for a nutritional supplements company, was…

Oct 22, 2018 12:53 PM CDT

4 women challenge Idaho’s ‘pregnancy exclusion’ for living wills

Four women have challenged the constitutionality of an Idaho law that nullifies an adult woman’s living will if she is pregnant. The federal lawsuit asserts that Idaho’s law on living wills and advance health care directives unconstitutionally discriminates against pregnant women, preventing them from deciding on their own end-of-life medical…

Jun 5, 2018 2:44 PM CDT

Letters: Pioneer in law

“A Birth and Many Firsts,” April, was an excellent article on Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, although space did not really allow you to elaborate on all the many firsts that she has to her name. She is one of the all-time trailblazers for women of color in the law.

Jun 1, 2018 12:00 AM CDT

Letters: Plasticity of legal language

Susan Nevelow Mart’s “Results May Vary” suggests practical lessons concerning pitfalls in legal research, which lawyers and law students ignore at their peril. A major lesson is that words by themselves do not solve problems. They stand for concepts, and one must consider different ways to identify the concept that is crucial to one’s research goal.

May 1, 2018 2:20 AM CDT

Federal judge considers $1M in fines for prison medical provider’s ‘intractable failures’

In late December, federal Magistrate Judge David Duncan waved an iPad in front of his Phoenix courtroom, enraged. He had just read a local news article suggesting that the Arizona Department of Corrections and its for-profit medical provider Corizon Health were gaming a system put in place to ensure adequate…

Feb 27, 2018 1:55 PM CST

I Did It Norway: Some American prisons are singing a European tune

In August, when the solar eclipse passed over South Boise Women’s Correctional Center in Idaho, the officers held lunch early, handed out protective sunglasses, and invited the women outside to watch the sky. At the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut, a few prisoners and officers recently played cards together; the…

Nov 2, 2017 5:52 PM CDT

JDs from middle-ranked schools in states with many public colleges may give best investment return

Between 2010 and 2014, net tuition declined the most at middle-ranked law schools, due to merit scholarship patterns associated with maintaining or improving rankings, according to a law review article by Jerome M. Organ, which looks at variable returns on investing in a law degree.

Sep 15, 2017 3:35 PM CDT

Investigation opened against Idaho judge from high school football sexual assault case

A southern Idaho judge, who presided over a high-profile, racially charged criminal case against white high school football players accused of sexually assaulting a black mentally disabled student, is being investigated by the Idaho Judicial Council. A Change.org petition that calls for Judge Randy Stoker to be removed from bench…

Mar 10, 2017 12:55 PM CST

Judge makes celibacy outside of marriage a condition of probation

An Idaho judge sentencing a 19-year-old man for rape last week remarked on the defendant’s number of sexual partners and set an unusual condition for probation. Judge Randy Stoker told Cody Duane Scott Herrera that, if he successfully completes an education and rehabilitation program, Herrera could be placed on probation…

Feb 7, 2017 9:55 AM CST

Another state bans fantasy sports sites for violating gambling laws

Idahoans can no longer join daily, online fantasy sports contests, because the cash prizes reportedly violate state gambling laws. “Idaho defines gambling, in part, as risking money or other thing of value for gain that is contingent in whole or part upon chance or the outcome of an event, including…

May 3, 2016 12:00 PM CDT