Idaho Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Idaho, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed Idaho Medical Cannabis Act ballot initiative?
Many. The Certificate of Review identified single-subject-rule problems with stuffing wholesale schedule reclassification of all marijuana into a 'medical cannabis' initiative, vagueness in 'related a…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the revised grocery sales tax exemption ballot initiative?
Two main concerns. The Certificate of Review found the revised initiative (1) likely violates the single-subject rule of Idaho Const. art. III § 16 and Idaho Code § 34-1802A by including a wholesale r…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed grocery sales tax exemption ballot initiative?
Two main concerns. The Certificate of Review found the initiative (1) failed to define 'food sold for human consumption,' which matters because Idaho courts strictly construe tax exemptions against th…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the re-submitted reproductive-freedom-until-fetal-viability ballot initiative?
Similar concerns to the September 2024 version, plus a new one. The Certificate of Review found (1) the new 'right to privacy in making personal decisions' subsection is vague and could conflict with …
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed Idaho marijuana decriminalization ballot initiative?
Eight, broadly: the title used 'cannabis' but the body used 'marijuana'; 'home cultivation' appeared in the title but not the body; 'limited personal production' implied a quantity cap that the body n…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed 'Right to Abortion Under Certain Circumstances' ballot initiative?
Five. The Certificate of Review found that the initiative (1) was silent on how it interacts with existing Idaho abortion law, (2) tried to bind future legislatures by ordinary statute (Planned Parent…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed reproductive-freedom-until-24-weeks ballot initiative?
Four. The Certificate of Review found the initiative (1) talked about 'privacy' without privacy content, (2) tried to bind future legislatures by ordinary statute (Planned Parenthood / Gallet), (3) di…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed reproductive-freedom-until-20-weeks ballot initiative?
Four. The Certificate of Review found the initiative (1) talked about 'privacy' without actually defining or restricting decisions about privacy, (2) tried to bind future legislatures by ordinary stat…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed reproductive-freedom-until-fetal-viability ballot initiative?
Five. The Certificate of Review found the initiative (1) talked about 'privacy' without privacy content, (2) tried to bind future legislatures by ordinary statute (Planned Parenthood / Gallet), (3) di…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed open primary and ranked choice voting initiative?
Many. The Cert flagged: a single-subject rule violation (open primary plus ranked choice voting are two distinct subjects under § 34-1801A); attempted self-titling that the AG must do; multiple intern…
What problems did the Idaho AG flag with the proposed Idaho Medical Marijuana Act ballot initiative in 2022?
Mostly drafting-mechanical issues plus the federal-law overlay. The Cert flagged vague provisions in §§ 39-9712(2) and 39-9721(9), a fatal chapter-numbering conflict (chapters 97-99 already used by ot…
What did the Idaho Attorney General say about the 2021 ballot initiative to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults in Idaho?
The AG's Certificate of Review recognized that Idaho may set its own marijuana laws but flagged numerous legal problems in the initiative: a likely single-subject-rule violation in its restitution-sta…
What did the Idaho Attorney General say about the 2021 ballot initiative that would have raised Idaho's minimum wage to $14 per hour?
The AG's Certificate of Review concluded the initiative wasn't preempted by federal law (the FLSA's savings clause lets states set higher minimum wages) and that letting cities and counties set their …
What did the Idaho Attorney General say about the 2021 'Quality Education Act' ballot initiative that would have raised income taxes on high earners and corporations to fund K-12 schools?
The AG's Certificate of Review concluded the initiative was legally permissible. It would replace 2021's tax cuts (Idaho Code section 63-3024) with a higher individual rate on income above $250,000 an…
What did the Idaho Attorney General say about the 2021 referendum that would have let voters reject Senate Bill 1110, the legislation that made it harder to qualify ballot initiatives by requiring signatures from every legislative district?
The AG's Certificate of Review confirmed that S.B. 1110 (which raised the geographic signature requirement to all 35 legislative districts) was a proper subject of referendum, and noted that S.B. 1110…
Did the Idaho AG identify any legal problems with a proposed ballot initiative that would have repealed the new geographic-distribution signature requirement (SB 1110) for Idaho ballot initiatives?
No fatal problems. The AG concluded that (1) the proposed initiative could itself address ballot-access rules because that's a legislative subject, (2) the 6% statewide signature requirement without g…
Did the Idaho AG identify any legal problems in the proposed Idaho Medical Marijuana Act initiative that would have legalized medical cannabis under state law through new Chapter 97 of Title 39?
The AG flagged two vagueness concerns ('an amount that would cause the cardholder to possess more than the allowable amount' and 'unrelated to the medical use of marijuana' for forfeiture purposes) an…
Did the Idaho AG identify legal problems with the July 2019 medical marijuana initiative (proposed Chapter 96 of title 39, Idaho Code)?
Yes. AG Wasden flagged that the proposed chapter number (96) was already taken by a 2019 'Maternal Mortality Review' chapter, identified several drafting and vagueness issues (including a 'must not be…
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the April 8, 2019 minimum wage initiative that would have raised Idaho's minimum wage to $12, raised tipped wages to $8.10, struck the youth subminimum, and authorized counties and cities to set higher local minimums?
No, with several drafting comments. AG Wasden's review concluded all four substantive components, including the home-rule grant authorizing counties and cities to enact higher minimum wages, were prop…
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the April 2019 medical marijuana plus hemp legalization initiative (proposed Chapter 92 of title 39, Idaho Code)?
Yes, in three big areas. AG Wasden warned that bundling a medical marijuana program with hemp legalization likely violated Idaho's single-subject rule under art. XX, § 2 and would be subject to challe…
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the April 12, 2019 minimum wage initiative that would have raised Idaho's minimum wage to $12, authorized counties and cities to set higher local minimums, and struck the youth subminimum (without changing the tipped employees' rate)?
No. AG Wasden's review concluded all three substantive components were proper subjects of state legislation. The FLSA's savings clause permits state minimums above the federal floor; the Idaho Constit…
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the April 11, 2019 minimum wage initiative that would have raised Idaho's minimum wage to $12, raised tipped wages to $8.10, and added CPI indexing?
No, with two minor drafting comments. AG Wasden's review concluded the substantive provisions were within the legislative power of Idaho. The FLSA's savings clause at 29 U.S.C. § 218(a) explicitly per…
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the Reclaim Idaho 'Quality Education Act' initiative that would have raised income taxes on high earners and corporations to fund K-12 schools?
Yes. AG Wasden's Certificate of Review identified a single-subject-rule risk (combining a tax-rate increase with a new education fund), drafting deviations from existing tax-bracket structure (a missi…
Did the Idaho AG's Certificate of Review flag legal problems with a 2019 citizen initiative that would have rewritten Idaho's initiative-and-referendum statute?
Yes, on several points. AG Wasden's Certificate of Review identified drafting ambiguities (effective-date conflict between proposed §§ 34-1801A and 34-1813, typos in signature timeline), flagged that …
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the 2018 historical horse racing initiative (Proposition 1)?
Yes. AG Wasden's Certificate of Review warned that wagering on 'historical horse race terminals' (also called 'instant racing') may not qualify as pari-mutuel betting under the Idaho Constitution, cit…
Did the Idaho AG flag legal problems with the 2017 Reclaim Idaho Medicaid expansion initiative that became Proposition 2 in 2018?
Mostly no. AG Wasden's Certificate of Review flagged minor drafting issues (improper underlining in Section 2, an inappropriate emergency clause, an enactment-clause that should reference 'voters' ins…
What did the Idaho Attorney General's 2016 statutory review of the proposed initiative to outlaw all abortions in Idaho as murder say about the measure's legality under then-controlling federal constitutional precedent?
AG Wasden's 2016 Certificate of Review concluded the proposed initiative would be unenforceable and indefensible if voters approved it. Under then-controlling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Cas…
What did the Idaho Attorney General's 2016 review of the proposed Idaho Medical Marijuana Act flag as legal problems before the petition could be circulated, even though the AG took no position on the policy?
AG Wasden's 2016 Certificate of Review identified numerous drafting and substantive problems: the proposed chapter would be enacted under an Idaho Code citation already in use; some defined terms were…
What constitutional concerns did the Idaho Attorney General flag for an initiative that would have lowered Idaho campaign-contribution caps, banned contributions from state contractors, criminalized lobbyist gifts above $50, and imposed a one-year post-employment lobbying ban on former public officials?
AG Wasden's 2016 review concluded the initiative's lower contribution limits ($500 for legislative, $2,000 for statewide) sat in a 'gray zone' of First Amendment law but were probably constitutional, …
What did the Idaho Attorney General's October 2015 Certificate of Review identify as remaining problems with a revised proposed initiative to broaden Idaho's sales tax base by taxing services?
AG Wasden's October 30, 2015 review reaffirmed and incorporated by reference the office's earlier June 10, 2015 review of an essentially identical initiative by the same petitioners. The revised versi…
What constitutional and drafting concerns did the Idaho Attorney General flag in 2015 about the proposed 'College, Not Cancer Act' that would have raised cigarette and tobacco taxes to fund lower public-university tuition and tobacco-cessation programs?
AG Wasden's 2015 review concluded the initiative had a serious art. III, § 18 problem because it sought to change cigarette and tobacco tax rates by reference rather than setting forth the amended sec…
Can Idaho restrict contributions to a candidate's campaign so that only people who live in the candidate's district (or in Idaho for statewide office) can give money, and prohibit corporate contributions to candidates?
AG Wasden's 2015 Certificate of Review concluded the proposed initiative was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. After Citizens United and McCutcheon, restricting contributions based on the do…
What problems did the Idaho Attorney General flag in June 2015 about the League of Women Voters' proposed initiative to lower Idaho's sales tax rate from 6% to 5% while broadening the base to include taxes on services and real-property contracts?
AG Wasden's 2015 review identified a long list of legal and drafting problems: a possible single-subject violation under art. III, § 16 because the initiative reached into personal property tax statut…
What did Idaho's AG say about the 2015 referendum petition challenging the new transportation funding law (House Bill 312)?
The AG made no recommendations to revise or alter the petition. Sections 6 and 7 of HB 312 (2015 Idaho Session Laws ch. 341) took effect immediately when signed; the remaining sections were suspended …
What did Idaho's AG say about the 2015 four-part marijuana initiative covering medical use, decriminalization, drug paraphernalia, and industrial hemp?
The AG's biggest concern was the single-subject rule. The petition bundled four distinct policy programs (medical marijuana legalization, possession decriminalization, paraphernalia decriminalization,…
What did Idaho's AG flag about the 2013 ballot initiative to overhaul state sales tax?
The petition was drafted against an outdated version of the sales tax statutes and missed 2011-2013 amendments. Other concerns included the irrelevance of a personal-property-tax change, definitional …
What did Idaho's AG say about the 2013 minimum wage ballot initiative?
The certificate of review described the initiative's proposed schedule (raising minimum wage to $9.80/hour by 2018 with annual CPI-W adjustments after) and noted parallel federal FLSA provisions for t…
What did Idaho's AG say about the February 2013 medical marijuana ballot initiative?
The AG identified the same federal preemption issues that defeat any state-only medical marijuana program, plus single-subject concerns under Idaho Const. art. III sec. 16 and several drafting fixes t…
What did Idaho's AG flag about the 2012 medical marijuana ballot initiative before it could go on the ballot?
The AG identified federal preemption (Controlled Substances Act, FHA, ADA, and Rehabilitation Act exclusions), a possible single-subject problem under Idaho Const. art. III sec. 16, internal cross-ref…
What did Idaho's AG flag about the 2012 ballot initiative to end Idaho's state liquor monopoly and privatize retail liquor sales?
The AG conducted the statutory review of the privatization petition under Idaho Code 34-1809 and noted issues for the petitioners' consideration. As with all certificates of review, the AG took no pos…
What did Idaho's AG say about the 2011 ballot initiative that would broaden the sales tax base to services and lower the rate to 5%?
The AG flagged a major unintended consequence: combining the proposed expansion of sales tax to real-property improvement contracts with existing exemptions for sales to government would completely ex…
What did Idaho's AG say about the 2011 ballot initiative making animal torture a felony?
The AG found the petitioner-supplied short and long ballot titles appropriate under Idaho Code 34-1809(2). The initiative amended the state's Cruelty to Animals chapter to add felony penalties for rep…
What did Idaho's AG certify about the 2011 referendum on Senate Bill 1184, the Luna Law on laptops and online graduation requirements?
The AG certified the referendum petition for form. SB 1184 had passed both houses and been signed. The bill had a phased effective date: most sections take effect July 1, 2011; some on July 1, 2012.
What did Idaho's AG certify about the 2011 referendum on Senate Bill 1110, the Luna Law on performance-based teacher pay?
The AG certified the referendum petition for form and style. S1110 had passed both houses, been signed into law, and was set to take effect in 2012, meeting the procedural requirements for referendum …
What did Idaho's AG certify about the 2011 referendum on Senate Bill 1108, the Luna Law restricting teacher collective bargaining?
The AG certified the referendum petition for form. S1108 had passed both houses and been signed. Sections 1-5, 7-9, and 13-25 had emergency clauses, meaning they remained effective pending the referen…
Could Idaho voters use a 2011 ballot initiative to broaden the state sales tax to services and lower the rate from 6 percent to 5 percent?
The AG identified drafting and constitutional issues with the proposed sales-tax restructuring: sourcing rules conflicted with existing law, the bill would have wholly exempted state and federal gover…
If Idaho voters had passed the 2010 medical marijuana initiative, would patients still face federal prosecution for possessing marijuana?
The AG flagged a critical limitation: even if Idaho legalized medical marijuana under state law, federal law would continue to apply. Patients would still face federal Controlled Substances Act prosec…
Could Idaho voters pass a 2010 initiative to nullify federal health insurance laws within the state?
The AG concluded the proposed Idaho Health Insurer Protection Act was likely unconstitutional. A state cannot declare federal laws null and void inside its borders. That power belongs to the federal c…
Could Idaho voters pass a 2010 ballot initiative letting jurors ignore judicial precedent and decide both the law and the facts in every case?
The AG flagged the Informed Jury Act initiative for separation-of-powers concerns under Idaho Const. art. V, sec. 13, Supremacy Clause concerns where the rule extended to federal law and federal court…
Could Idaho voters pass a 2010 ballot initiative letting county sheriffs block IRS enforcement of federal income tax laws?
The AG concluded the initiative would violate the Supremacy Clause and was likely void for vagueness. Idaho cannot block federal income tax enforcement, and sheriffs cannot decide which federal laws t…
Could Idaho voters pass a 2010 initiative banning state and federal greenhouse gas regulation inside Idaho?
The AG flagged three legal defects: the initiative conflicted with Governor Otter's Executive Order 2007-05 directing GHG reduction, conflicted with Idaho's Title V Clean Air Act permitting authority …
Could a 2010 Idaho ballot initiative withhold federal income tax revenue from the federal government?
The AG concluded the initiative would likely be struck down. The 16th Amendment gives Congress the power to lay and collect income taxes without apportionment among the states. No state law can withho…
Could a 2010 Idaho initiative bar Idaho from participating in the federal National Animal Identification System?
The AG flagged that the initiative was drafted with 'Missouri' substituted for 'Idaho' at three points (a copy-paste from another state's measure), would impair pre-existing federal-state cooperative …
Could a 2010 Idaho initiative require presidential candidates to file birth certificates with the Idaho Secretary of State to qualify for the ballot?
The AG concluded the initiative would be unconstitutional. States cannot add qualifications for federal officers beyond what the U.S. Constitution specifies. Powell v. McCormack and the Supremacy Clau…
Could a 2010 Idaho ballot initiative bar federal enforcement of health insurance mandates within Idaho?
The AG flagged the initiative's drafting ambiguities, the 'indirect effect' nullification clauses that left scope indefinable, signature-collection violations under § 34-1804, and noted that potential…
Could a 2010 Idaho initiative make midwifery licensure voluntary by removing the criminal penalty for unlicensed practice?
The AG noted a citation error (the petitioners cited § 54-5406 instead of the correct § 54-5506) and explained that eliminating the penalty for unlicensed practice would change Idaho's midwifery regul…
Could a 2010 Idaho ballot initiative bar local governments from joining ICLEI or U.N. bodies?
The AG noted the proposed prohibition on local government membership in ICLEI or U.N. bodies was permissible as a public-funds limitation, but flagged that removing AG prosecutorial discretion imprope…
Could a 2010 Idaho ballot initiative require local governments to pay landowners 120% of value plus costs whenever zoning rules change land use?
The AG raised concerns about drafting (better placed as separate statutory sections rather than a single new section), the conflict with constitutional police powers, federal preemption of provisions …
Could a 2010 Idaho ballot initiative bar federal deployment of the Idaho National Guard outside U.S. borders?
The AG concluded the initiative was unconstitutional. The U.S. Constitution's Militia Clauses and federal statute give Congress authority to call National Guard units to active federal duty. The Idaho…
Could a 2010 Idaho ballot initiative bar all forced vaccination, criminalize coercion, and authorize lethal self-defense against vaccinators?
The AG flagged numerous conflicts: with Idaho minor consent statutes (§§ 39-3801, 39-4302), with the federal vaccine definition in 42 U.S.C. § 1396s, with Idaho's existing self-defense doctrine (the i…
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Attorney general opinions in Idaho are written by the Idaho Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.