Idaho

9th Circuit strikes down same-sex marriage bans; SCOTUS rejects Idaho’s stay request

Updated: The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled late Tuesday that same-sex marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada are unconstitutional. The Washington Post, the Associated Press and CNN have stories. The court found that the bans violate the rights of same-sex couples to equal protection under the…

Oct 7, 2014 5:24 PM CDT

Homeowner fined for sharing water loses appeal claiming law was unintelligible to the average person

An Idaho man fined $500 for providing water to a neighbor lost an appeal on Monday that claimed the law authorizing the penalty was unintelligible to the average person and an unconstitutional infringement on charitable conduct. The Idaho Court of Appeals ruled against Michael Jay Freitas of Spirit Lake, the…

Aug 13, 2014 2:02 PM CDT

See the video: Both $4 plastic cup of beer and taller $7 version hold the same amount, lawsuit says

A YouTube video which seems to show that a $4 cup of draft beer sold at a hockey game in Boise, Idaho, holds the same amount of brew as a “large” $7 cup was quickly followed by a lawsuit. Four other Idaho Steelheads fans filed suit in state court in…

Mar 13, 2014 3:40 PM CDT

Lesbian may adopt her wife’s children, Idaho Supreme Court says

A lesbian couple married in California has won an adoption battle in Idaho. As a result of an Idaho Supreme Court ruling on Monday, Darcy Drake Simpson will be allowed to pursue the adoption of her spouse’s two children, the Idaho Statesman reports. A magistrate had denied the adoption without…

Feb 11, 2014 5:56 PM CST

Lawyer convicted in failed contract-hit attempt on wife sues defense counsel for malpractice

An Idaho lawyer serving a 50-year federal sentence after being convicted two years ago in what prosecutors described as a failed contract hit attempt on his wife and mother-in-law is now suing his defense lawyers. Edgar Steele, 68, insists, along with his wife, that he is innocent. He has blamed…

Dec 13, 2013 5:00 PM CST

Family sues car dealership, says they were held at gunpoint on mistaken theft claim over BMW loaner

An Idaho family of four has filed suit against an automobile dealership, contending that all were traumatized when they were stopped by sheriff’s officers near Coeur d’Alene and held at gunpoint, along with their dog, because of a mistaken theft report about a loaner BMW. Casey and Sheree Bryntesen sued…

Oct 24, 2013 7:20 PM CDT

Lawyer saves teen client who appeared ready to leap from courthouse roof

An Idaho lawyer says he was acting on instinct when he chased his teen client and grabbed the youth as he appeared ready to leap from the ledge of the courthouse roof in Ada County. Nampa, Idaho, lawyer Ryan Henson tells the Idaho Statesman that he didn’t think of the…

Apr 4, 2013 12:23 PM CDT

Judge Orders Prosecutor and Defendant Into Mediation In Death Penalty Case

A judge overseeing a first-degree murder case in eastern Idaho has ordered the prosecutor and defendant Michael Sparks into mediation, to see if they can resolve the death-penalty case before trial. Sparks’ attorney, Bannock County Public Defender Randy Schulthies, said he was surprised by the Monday order by Sixth District…

Dec 11, 2012 10:08 PM CST

Supreme Court Won’t Consider Ban on Insanity Defense; Dissenters Explain Idaho Law with Wolf Hypo

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of an accused murderer who claims he has a constitutional right to an insanity defense. Justice Stephen G. Breyer dissented to the cert denial in an opinion (PDF) joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. The cert petition…

Nov 26, 2012 5:17 PM CST

Lawyer Takes Misdemeanor Plea During Trial for Alleged Attack on Woman in Law Office Conference Room

Faced with the possibility of a maximum 20-year prison sentence if he had been found guilty of felony battery for allegedly forcing himself on a woman in his law office conference room last year, an Idaho attorney has taken a mid-trial plea to misdemeanor battery. John Prior, 50, will now…

Sep 18, 2012 4:02 PM CDT

Meet David Nevin, ‘Velvet Shiv’ Defense Attorney for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

The military trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, isn’t expected to begin until next year. However, his hard-fighting defense lawyer, David Nevin, begins a six-day session of legal arguments on Thursday in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that could result in the exclusion…

Aug 22, 2012 4:15 PM CDT

Idaho County to Hire Lawyer to Assist Pro Se Litigants

A county in southwestern Idaho has approved a preliminary budget that includes the hiring of a full-time lawyer to aid those filing pro se civil cases. Canyon County commissioners approved the position, taking $60,000 from the Idaho Supreme Court, to hire the lawyer to help better assist an increasing number…

Aug 13, 2012 12:23 PM CDT

First Class Is on Verge of Beginning Studies at Concordia U Law School

At least 71 students and perhaps as many as 75 are about to begin their studies at the new Concordia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho, which is opening its doors to its first class this month. Each will have a judge or lawyer assigned as a mentor, reports…

Aug 3, 2012 11:44 AM CDT

Unhappy with State AG’s ‘Completely Unsupported’ Opinion, Idaho House Speaker Goes Lawyer-Shopping

Dissatisfied with a legal opinion from the Idaho attorney general, the speaker of the state’s house of representatives sought—and got—a more favorable ruling from a private practitioner. Like the AG, the speaker, Lawrence Denney, is a Republican. However, that didn’t prevent the state’s Republican party from issuing a press release…

Jan 24, 2012 7:00 PM CST

Landowners’ Wetlands Dispute Becomes Conservative Cause and Supreme Court Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider an Idaho property rights case that has generated landowner sympathy among conservatives, libertarians and developers. The issue before the court next week is whether landowners Chantell and Mike Sackett may go to court to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s conclusion that their property is…

Jan 4, 2012 12:00 PM CST