Demand for Capital Defense Attorneys May Soon Skyrocket in Idaho Due to New Law

General Interest, Idaho Courts, Public Defender, Uncategorized

Earlier in 2025, Idaho legislators passed a bill allowing the death penalty in cases of aggravated lewd conduct involving children under the age of 12, despite a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that such punishments for non-homicide crimes are unconstitutional. The law, set to take effect in July, introduces a new offense—aggravated lewd conduct under…

‘Headed for a Disaster:’ ACLU asks Idaho Supreme Court to Order Public Defense System Reform

Constitutional Rights, Idaho Courts, Public Defender

The ACLU of Idaho is urging the Idaho Supreme Court to step in and address what it calls a public defense crisis, alleging that the State’s recent overhaul of its public defense system is leaving indigent defendants without proper legal representation. After Idaho transitioned to a statewide public defender agency in October, mass resignations due…