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Judge demands answers from Idaho state public defender after defendants left without counsel
by Mia Maldonado, Idaho Capital SunOctober 23, 2024 Alicia Price’s fiance has been in the Canyon County Jail for more than 121 days. Her fiance is facing felony charges, and he has not had access to a public defender since Oct. 1, when his previous attorney resigned. Price requested her fiance’s name remain anonymous, fearing…
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Ninth Circuit sides with Thomas Creech same day Idaho issues death warrant
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Thomas Creech’s attorneys in an ongoing legal dispute on Wednesday, the same day an Idaho judge signed his latest death warrant. The decision from the appellate court does not stop the scheduled execution on Nov. 13, but it could make it easier…
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Death warrant signed for Thomas Creech, execution set for Nov. 13
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason Scott signed a death warrant Wednesday for Thomas Creech, the same man the Idaho Department of Correction unsuccessfully attempted to execute in February. The warrant sets Creech’s execution for 10 a.m. Nov. 13. Creech is Idaho’s longest serving man on death row after the beating…
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New execution plan allows IDOC to access central vein, without in-person witnesses
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports The Idaho Department of Correction announced Tuesday that future executions by lethal injection may now use a central vein, if needed, rather than just the peripheral veins of a condemned person. Designated execution witnesses will see a live audio and video feed of the execution preparation room where IVs are…
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New state public defender fills most vacant positions
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports The State Public Defender’s Office reports only a small number of vacancies in the office after taking over the new statewide system for operating public defense last week. As of Oct. 9, the SPD’s Office had 276 employees and 26 open positions at the state’s 12 county-based public defense offices…
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Idaho State Bar issues ethics opinion on attorneys dropping cases amid public defense change
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports Public defenders can’t walk away from cases without a judge’s permission, even if their new state contracts mean they will get paid less. The Idaho State Bar issued an ethics opinion on Sept. 18 on attorneys withdrawing from pending criminal cases as the changeover date for a statewide public defense…
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Idaho prison renovating execution chamber after February’s failed attempt
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports The Idaho Department of Correction is currently renovating the execution chamber at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, according to building permits from the Division of Occupational & Professional Licenses. The change comes after the failed execution attempt of 74-year-old Thomas Creech on Feb. 28, in which the medical team could not establish…
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Public defense changeover raises concerns for some
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports When Neil Price returned to the Ada County Public Defender’s Office in 2016, he planned to work there until retirement. Price, who is certified to defend clients who face the death penalty, told Idaho Reports he saw the work as a calling. But after learning that transferring to the new…
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Judge dismisses Creech’s post-conviction claims on cruel and unusual punishment
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason Scott dismissed a post-conviction claim Thursday from Thomas Creech, a man who survived an execution attempt and has been on death row since 1983. After surviving an execution attempt earlier this year, Creech’s attorneys claimed that a second attempt by the state to execute him…
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Creech claims second execution attempt would be ‘psychological torture’
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason Scott heard arguments Thursday about whether to allow for an evidentiary hearing in Thomas Creech’s latest post-conviction case. After surviving an execution attempt earlier this year, Creech’s attorneys now claim that a second attempt by the state to execute him would amount to cruel and…
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Judge grants hearing in Labrador’s fight against ballot initiative
By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports Fourth Judicial District Judge Patrick Miller granted a hearing on Thursday after the Attorney General’s Office filed a motion for summary judgment in the case against Idahoans for Open Primaries. Like in its original complaint to the Idaho Supreme Court, Attorney General Raúl Labrador is asking for an injunction that…
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State leaders offer recommendations for wildfire direction
By Ruth Brown and Melissa Davlin, Idaho Reports Flanked by first responders and division heads, Gov. Brad Little introduced a new report on Friday with recommendations and directives on wildfire suppression, including better managing fire fuels, improving statewide emergency response communications, and proposing legislation on wildfire liability standards for utilities. The Friday morning press conference…