BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced that a federal court dismissed The Satanic Temple’s lawsuit challenging Idaho’s abortion laws with prejudice, marking a significant legal victory for the state after years of litigation. U.S. District Judge David C. Nye ruled that The Satanic Temple’s constitutional claims were legally unsound and could not be saved by any amendment.
The Satanic Temple sued the state of Idaho in 2022, arguing that Idaho’s pro-life laws violated the Constitution through four unprecedented legal theories, claiming the laws constituted a “taking” of pregnant women’s wombs, made pregnant women “slaves,” and violated religious freedom statutes. Judge Nye originally dismissed the case in 2024, finding The Satanic Temple lacked legal standing and that its arguments were “absurd” and “outlandish.”
After The Satanic Temple appealed, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed the group lacked standing but asked Judge Nye to clarify whether any amendment could save the claims. In his decision issued Monday, Judge Nye made clear no amendment could fix The Satanic Temple’s legal arguments and dismissed the case with prejudice.
“Idaho’s pro-life laws protect both mothers and unborn children, and this decision confirms those protections are constitutionally sound,” said Attorney General Labrador. “The Satanic Temple’s attempt to manufacture constitutional violations out of disagreement with Idaho’s values has been rejected at every level. We’ve defended Idaho’s laws through every stage of this litigation, and we will continue protecting the right of Idaho’s elected representatives to defend life.”