This week, we visited Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador at his capitol office to discuss his first year as Idaho's chief legal officer, his outlook on the job, and the high-profile cases his office is litigating.

Idaho Reports airs Friday at 8 p.m. on Idaho Public Television.

State asks court to dismiss abortion lawsuit over medically complex pregnancies

The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a legal complaint this year asking to determine the rights of pregnant Idahoans with emergent medical conditions that may necessitate an abortion. The Idaho Attorney General’s Office has filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing the legislature has made a policy decision “fully within its constitutional authority to prefer, by all legal means, live childbirth over abortion, even in cases in which a physician believes that the child will die shortly after birth.”

Supreme Court hears appeal on student IDs for voting

Advocacy group Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters of Idaho have appealed a district court decision regarding lawmakers' changes to voter registration laws this year.

Follow online for updates throughout the week:

Podcast: Imprisoned for Having a Mental Illness

artworks-4F7CYYCzY3IQ7WNg-TUN3OA-t500x500 image

Idaho is soon to be the only state that still uses its prison system to house certain mental health patients — those whose condition a court has deemed "dangerously mentally ill" — even though they have committed no crime. ProPublica reporter Audrey Dutton joins associate producer Logan Finney to discuss this particular prison unit, the civil rights concerns that accompany it, and how debates over the practice stretch back decades at the Idaho statehouse.

WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS

State poised to switch employee insurance provider

The state is considering a contract with a new health insurance provider, lawmakers learned this week. The Office of Group Insurance currently covers about 60,000 Idahoans — employees, spouses, and dependents — through its contract with Blue Cross of Idaho.

KTVB: New laws for the new year

The effective date for many bills at the Idaho Legislature is usually the first of July, which is the start of the state fiscal year. But sometimes, lawmakers set a different date, such as postponing a new law from taking take effect until the first of the year.

WATCH FROM KTVB

Help support our journalism:

The generous support of viewers like you makes it possible for us at Idaho Public Television to tell Idaho’s stories.

SUPPORT IDAHOPTV

Idaho Reports

1455 N Orchard St

Boise ID 83706-2239

(208) 373-7220

Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television is made possible through the generous support of the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.