By Christina Lords | Editor-in-Chief
“I don’t think the state has an answer for how you identify someone’s biological sex. … Are we just going to look at folks as they enter a restroom and determine whether we think they look enough like a man or a woman? That’s ridiculous.” - ACLU of Idaho attorney Emily Croston
An Idaho State Police trooper handcuffs Nikson Mathews, a trans rights advocate, in the Idaho governor’s office during a sit-in protest after the governor signed the bathroom ban into law. To the right, the Rev. Sara LaWall is handcuffed on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The protestors were arrested on trespassing charges. (Photo by Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)
COURTS + POLICING
Idaho’s transgender bathroom ban is now the law. How will police enforce it? That’s still unclear.
By Kyle Pfannenstiel
As parts of Idaho’s criminal transgender bathroom ban are now in effect, how far will law enforcement officers have to go to enforce the new law?
What if officers don’t believe a person’s gender markers on IDs?
Will they inspect people’s naked bodies to prove their biological sex? Do they need a warrant for that?
Will they use DNA testing to prove someone’s sex? At what point in an investigation under the law will that testing take place?
These questions echo concerns that high-ranking law enforcement officials shared with state lawmakers on the bill, which some said would be difficult to enforce and might require invasive methods. Now, more than a week into the law taking effect, some are confronting the realities of how they’d handle reports of the law being broken.
The water quality of the Snake River has improved, but it still faces threats from invasive species and nutrient runoff, according to the Idaho Conservation League (Photo courtesy of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture).
ENVIRONMENT
New report finds health of Snake River has improved, recommends further intervention
By Abigail Gerstein
A new report by the Idaho Conservation League found that the Snake River, which spans the breadth of the state, has made dramatic progress in water quality, but ongoing threats still make the river unsafe in many areas.
A new tent-only campground was built along the 73-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, state officials announced. (Photo courtesy of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation)
ENVIRONMENT
State opens new campground along Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes in Idaho
By Clark Corbin
The state of Idaho opened a new campground along the popular Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, which stretches from Mullan to Plummer, officials with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality announced.
MORE IDAHO NEWS FROM US
MORE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NEWS FROM US
ICYMI
Shining a light on other Idaho politics reporting
Note: Some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
Coeur d’Alene Press: Idaho doctor shortage persists
East Idaho News: Could City Hall move downtown? Pocatello invites public to weigh in
Sandpoint Reader: ITD seeking comment on draft investment plan
Thanks for reading The Sunrise. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.