Federal Judge Halts Enforcement of Idaho Law on Public Restroom Use Pending Review

A federal judge blocked Idaho on Tuesday from enforcing a new law that would have made it a crime to use public restrooms or changing facilities that do not align with one's sex assigned at birth. The judge ruled that key provisions of the measure were likely unconstitutional and issued a preliminary injunction preventing the law from taking effect July 1 while a lawsuit challenging the measure proceeds through federal court.

The judge also provisionally certified a class of transgender Idaho residents, extending the injunction beyond the six plaintiffs who brought the case.

The law, signed by the governor in March, would have made it a misdemeanor for a person to knowingly use a restroom or changing facility in a government building or place of public accommodation that did not correspond with their sex assigned at birth.

A first offense carried a penalty of up to one year in jail, while a second offense within five years could have been prosecuted as a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Idaho lawmakers said the measure was intended to protect privacy and safety in sex-segregated spaces.

During court proceedings, state attorneys argued the legislature had a legitimate interest in maintaining separate facilities for men and women.

The judge found that portions of the law were likely too vague to be enforced consistently. The ruling focused on exceptions allowing a person to use an otherwise prohibited restroom when another facility is not "reasonably available" or when a person is in "dire need" of using one.