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Idaho Reports airs Friday at 8 pm on Idaho Public Television.

The Idaho House of Representatives elected Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian, as the new House Majority Leader on Monday in a closed-door caucus meeting of the House Republicans.

“It’s sometimes awfully scary, because they’re expecting you to go out there and represent them,” Monks told Idaho Reports after the vote was announced. “We have 59 different opinions in this body, and that’s sometimes difficult to make sure that you’re representing everybody at the same time.”

Idaho law currently only allows the death penalty in first-degree murder cases. The House on Tuesday in a 57-11 vote passed a bill that would make lewd conduct with children under age 12 with aggravating circumstances eligible for the death penalty.

Gov. Brad Little joined members of the media on Tuesday morning to discuss the status of the legislative session and his positions on the issues being considered by lawmakers. 

A bill introduced Monday would temporarily fill Idaho judicial vacancies with senior judges until voters elect a new judge or justice in the next election — but only if the judge who is stepping down has a certain retirement plan. Filling mid-term judicial vacancies is sometimes controversial, as it takes the decision of who fills the seat out of voters’ hands.

In case you missed it:

The Idaho Supreme Court has rejected two appeals from Thomas Creech, putting Idaho’s longest-serving death row inmate further down the path to his scheduled execution. 

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