CASE SUMMARY

On December 16, 2021, two members from different Idaho Native American tribes filed a petition with the Idaho Supreme Court challenging the Idaho Commission for Reapportionment’s adopted legislative plan as violating the U.S. and Idaho Constitutions and state law. They alleged the Commission violated the 14th Amendment by ignoring state and tribal interests to achieve their erroneous goal of the smallest maximum population deviation possible, violated the Idaho Constitution’s requirement to minimize the number of county splits, and failed to consider the Tribes’ communities of interest prior to adopting the plan in violation of statutory redistricting criteria. They sought a judicial declaration the plan was unconstitutional and unlawful, a writ of prohibition barring the Commission’s final report from being sent to legislative leaders, and for the court to remand the plan to the Commission for remedial corrections.

  • On December 17, 2021, the Idaho Supreme Court consolidated this case with three other challenges to the legislative plan.
  • On January 27, 2022, the Idaho Supreme Court upheld the Commission’s final plan as valid, finding the Commission’s balancing of redistricting criteria was reasonable and applying a “reasonably determined” standard to the Commission’s determinations as to which counties are “reasonably necessary” to divide for constitutional compliance purposes.

For all of the filings in this case, see the litigation page for Durst v. Idaho Comm'n for Reapportionment.

Related Cases: Durst v. Idaho Comm'n for Reapportionment; Ada County v. Idaho Comm'n for Reapportionment; Stucki v. Idaho Comm'n for Reapportionment

Similar Case: Pentico v. Idaho Comm'n for Reapportionment

CASE LIBRARY

Idaho Supreme Court - No. 49353-2021 [together with Nos. 49621-2021, 49267-2021, & 49295-2021]