Dear Friends,
Most people don’t spend their days reading court filings or coalition letters from attorneys general—and I don’t blame them. But behind those filings is where we do some of our most important work defending Idaho’s values, protecting our freedoms, and standing up to overreach. So in this week’s Labrador Letter, I want to take a moment to explain how this work happens, what we’ve been doing, and why it matters for Idaho.
One of the tools we use as attorneys general is the amicus brief—a legal document filed in a court case where a state isn’t directly involved, but where the outcome affects our rights or our laws. “Amicus” means “friend” in Latin, and these briefs allow us to stand up as a “friend of the court”—and more importantly, a friend of the people—on issues that matter beyond just Idaho’s border.
We also join coalition letters with other attorneys general to demand accountability, warn of legal consequences, and push back on policies that overstep constitutional boundaries. These aren’t just symbolic gestures. They are the united voice of states, telling corporations, federal agencies, and international bodies that we will not be silent—or that we’re prepared to fight back against unlawful policies.
In the past few months, we’ve used both of these tools to defend parental rights, merit-based hiring, Second Amendment freedoms, veteran’s benefits, and the rule of law.
Some of the clearest examples of this work are playing out in the business and financial sectors—where the push for political conformity is increasingly replacing accountability, and sometimes, the law. We recently joined a 15-state coalition urging the Business Roundtable—an organization made up of CEOs from some of the most powerful companies in America—to abandon discriminatory DEI mandates. These race-based hiring quotas and ideological trainings violate both state and federal law, replacing merit with identity politics. We joined this effort because Idahoans deserve to compete and be hired based on ability, not immutable characteristics.
At the same time, we also joined a coalition letter asking major Wall Street firms like BlackRock, JPMorgan, and others about their investments in Chinese companies tied to forced labor, genocide, and the Chinese Communist Party. These asset managers handle trillions of dollars on behalf of pensioners, retirees, and working Americans. When they hide the risks of investing in an adversarial regime, it’s not just bad business—it may be fraud. Idaho public employees, retirees, and private investors have a right to know whether their money is being funneled into unstable or unethical markets, especially when those markets are propped up by a hostile foreign government.
We’re also confronting another ideological push—this one coming from within our own institutions and aimed squarely at the foundations of biology, parental rights, and public spending. We’re pushing back against one of the most troubling trends in our country today: the effort to force radical gender ideology into every institution—including our prison system. I recently co-led a 24-state amicus brief in support of a Trump-era executive order that prohibits taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries and hormone treatments for inmates in federal custody. The case, Kingdom v. Trump, asks whether prisoners can claim a constitutional right under the Eighth Amendment to receive these procedures at public expense. Our brief makes clear: denying elective, irreversible procedures is not cruel or unusual punishment. These decisions about medical care in prisons should be made by elected policymakers—not imposed by courts. Idahoans should not be forced to subsidize medical practices are experimental and go against basic biology. This case is about protecting taxpayers and restoring common sense to public policy.
We’re seeing the same kind of overreach in states attempting to rewrite the Second Amendment—and Idaho is fighting back. This past September, I led a multistate amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Maryland’s unconstitutional ban on commonly owned semiautomatic rifles. These firearms are used by law-abiding Americans every day for self-defense, sport, and tradition. Our brief stated that Maryland’s law violates the Second Amendment and defies Supreme Court precedent. Idahoans value their freedom—and when another state tries to criminalize the exercise of a constitutional right, we will lead the charge to stop it. The case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, and we are awaiting a decision on whether the justices will take it up.
That same commitment to defending what’s right applies to how we treat those who served our country. In March, our office joined every state in the country in a bipartisan amicus brief defending the earned benefits of two decorated servicemembers denied their full GI Bill education benefits. The VA took a narrow view of the law, even after the U.S. Supreme Court made clear in Rudisill v. McDonough that these benefits are owed. This wasn’t a partisan issue. It was a failure by a federal agency to keep its word to our veterans. That’s why we stepped in. Veterans in Idaho and across America deserve every benefit they were promised.
Just as we fight for our veterans, we’re also working to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis that has harmed communities across America. We recently helped secure up to $335 million in a bipartisan, multistate settlement with Mylan Pharmaceuticals. The company marketed opioid products, including fentanyl patches, while minimizing known risks of abuse. These practices contributed to a crisis that has touched nearly every state—including Idaho. While no settlement can undo the damage, these funds will support prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts in communities across our state.
All of this is more than just legal action—it’s a commitment to protecting Idaho’s future and pushing back against those who would undermine it. We don’t wait for permission to defend our values, and we won’t stay quiet while others try to dictate the direction of this country. Whether it’s Wall Street, Washington, or states trying to export their failed policies nationwide, Idaho will continue to lead—fighting in the courts, building strong coalitions, and standing firm for the rule of law. We will protect our rights, our sovereignty, and our way of life—no matter who tries to take them.
Best regards,
