Idaho Supreme Court schedules hearing for Reclaim Idaho initiative rights case

The Idaho Supreme Court announced this morning that they will hear Reclaim Idaho’s case against the new anti-initiatives law.

The hearing, scheduled for June 29 at 10 a.m., will take place on Zoom and will be accessible to the public via live stream.

The anti-initiatives law, enacted by the legislature and signed by the governor in April, requires initiative campaigns to collect signatures from 6% of voters in all 35 of Idaho’s districts — up from the 18 districts previously required.

Reclaim Idaho says the new anti-initiatives law gives Idaho the most restrictive signature-gathering rules in the nation and makes future grassroots initiatives virtually impossible. They believe the new law violates the constitutional right of Idahoans to propose initiatives, and the organization is asking the Supreme Court to strike down the law.

The Idaho attorney general, who will defend the anti-initiatives law in court, requested last month that the Idaho Supreme Court deny the case a hearing. Today the court decided to schedule a hearing for the case and, in response to Reclaim Idaho’s request, to hear the case on an expedited schedule.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to argue our case on behalf of the people of Idaho,” said Luke Mayville, co-founder of Reclaim Idaho. “The initiative process has been the guaranteed right of Idaho citizens for over 100 years. For the thousands of Idahoans who are paying close attention, it is a great relief to know that the Idaho Supreme Court understands the urgency of this issue.”