Source: idahocapitalsun.com 3/27/25
Widely supported in the Idaho Legislature, the bill is likely to face a constitutional challenge, lawmakers acknowledge. But they are hopeful law will prevail.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill to make people who sexually abuse young children in Idaho eligible for the death penalty.
House Bill 380 will allow the death penalty in a new criminal charge the bill creates: aggravated lewd conduct with children age 12 and younger.
The bill also would add mandatory minimum prison sentences for cases of aggravated lewd conduct with minors that don’t meet the bill’s proposed criteria for death penalty eligibility. The new crime would only apply to abuse of children age 16 and below.
Little signed the bill Wednesday morning, according to the governor’s office legislation tracker. He told the Idaho Capital Sun in a written statement that he signed the bill “because heinous sex crimes against children destroy lives, and the perpetrators deserve the ultimate punishment.”
The Idaho Legislature widely passed the bill, with only five votes against in the Senate and none in the House.
The bill was cosponsored by Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, House Assistant Majority Leader Josh Tanner, R-Eagle, and over a half dozen other Idaho lawmakers.
Skaug has told lawmakers Idaho has some of the nation’s most lenient child rape laws.
The bill takes effect July 1.
It’s obvious that the legislators in Idaho, including the Governor, have no shame. Together they have passed a law that will cause great harm and not stop sexual abuse of children. Because the U.S. Supreme Court has already issued a decision about this issue, the Idaho law will certainly be appealed. We can only hope and pray that the Court applies the same reasoning to the Idaho law and overturns it.
Until this insane law is ruled unconstitutional and rightfully overturned I will be boycotting potatoes: baked, loaded, roasted, fried (French, curly, waffle, wedge and steak), scalloped, hash-browns, tater tots, chips and even potato salad. Who’s with me?
The “Aged 16 and below” is incorrect. I read the text of the bill and it says “under 16”. In Idaho, as in most states, the age of consent is 16. So an 18 year and one day old gets mandatory 25 years in prison for “consensual” sex with their 15 year and 364 day old GF. While a 70 year old has sex with a 16 year old and 1 day and all is good. We’ve lost our *** *** minds. (No aggravated needed on this part of the law, that only applies to the death penalty for 12 and under)
Yet another pass/fail test for the Judiciary. Doesn’t matter how each judge does, Reich always wins! Whole point is to see which of the judges will follow their orders, and which ones need to go! They’ve been doing this for over a year now… more and more laws, of ever increasingly egregious natures.
Judges can be impeached and removed… all he needs is enough votes in both houses. That gets us to today’s “Voting Eligibility” executive order.
The judges will follow their orders… or he will have to suspend all elections until they do?
Nothing more than a self congratulatory bill. The pre occupation with an offense that has statistically not risen in three yrs, although more cases are prosecuted now than in prior reporting periods, shows that the problem isn’t with the people committing the offenses. It’s with the District attorneys. They finally decide to start prosecuting and suddenly there’s an epidemic in Idaho of sex abusers. Notice the law stipulates under 16. Probably because the Appalachia of the North west has most of those girls pregnant and wed by then. Likely to their militia joining boyfriends.
I just read the article about Idaho passing the law to give the death penalty to people who sexually abuse children 12 years old and younger. The legislature in Idaho is way overboard. Just automatically killing the perpetrator for abusing a child is not the ultimate solution. The perpetrator’s mind needs to be treated first of all. The psychologist needs to analyze why he committed that action. Then teach him the techniques to prevent any kind of violence in his future. Therapy on the mind is the top priority. The perpetrator just needs to learn self-control, and discernment for appropriate behavior. Anybody who does a wrong action can be fixed. They just have to want it and choose it for themselves.
What child is going to snitch on their Uncle Charles and have him sent to the gallows? That’s a heavy burden to carry the rest of their lives.
” Heinous sex crimes against children destroy lives, and the perpetrators deserve the ultimate punishment.” said Idaho governor Little.
Thanks for admitting it’s punishment.
This will have zero deterrent effect. The only “success’ this law will achieve is it’s pandering to mob populism and a false sense of ease for parents. Helicopter parents will still helicopter they grew up watching Dateline and American’s Most Wanted.
It’s a wonder today’s kids don’t get scurvy from being held hostage – in darkness – out of the sunlight by their parents.
How about the death penalty for the jerk that signed it and the morons that drafted this bill!
Just like IDaho, but they passed their’s