Legal challenge to Idaho school bathroom law dismissed

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — A legal challenge against Idaho’s school privacy law has officially come to an end after plaintiffs agreed to dismiss both their district court case and Ninth Circuit appeal.

According to a statement issued by Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, the lawsuit, Sexuality and Gender Alliance v. Critchfield, challenged Senate Bill 1100, a 2023 Idaho law requiring students in K-12 public schools to use bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and overnight accommodations that correspond with their biological sex.

The law also requires schools to provide single-occupancy accommodations for students who prefer not to use shared facilities.

Shortly after the bill was passed in 2023, a student and the Sexuality and Gender Alliance filed suit, arguing the law violated the Equal Protection Clause, Title IX, and privacy rights.

In October 2023, U.S. District Judge David Nye denied a request for a preliminary injunction, siding with arguments from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office. The plaintiffs later appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which found the law did not violate the Equal Protection Clause or Title IX and ruled that protecting students’ bodily privacy is a legitimate government interest.

The plaintiffs have now agreed to dismiss the case entirely.

“From the district court to the Ninth Circuit, we defended Idaho’s right to protect students’ privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms,” Labrador said in a statement. “Idaho families can be confident that this law is fully in effect and will remain so.”