Law Enforcement and Civil Rights

On March 27, 2026, Idaho’s Republican‑controlled legislature passed and sent to Gov. Brad Little a law that criminalizes certain transgender bathroom use in “places of public accommodation,” explicitly covering privately owned businesses, imposing up to one year in jail for a first offense and up to five years for a second. The final statute — narrower than earlier drafts and containing limited exceptions (e.g., janitorial work, emergency responders, assisting children, and a contested “dire need” clause) — has drawn sharp opposition from major Idaho law‑enforcement groups and civil‑rights and LGBTQ advocates who warn it will spur profiling and vigilantism and face rapid legal challenges, while supporters say it targets sexual predators.