Judge blocks Idaho restroom law targeting transgender people

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Idaho from enforcing the criminal penalties in a restroom law that would have sent transgender people to jail for using facilities that match their gender identity. The ruling from Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda Brailsford gives immediate protection in covered restroom situations, especially multi-user restrooms and some cases where a single-user restroom is not reasonably available.

The injunction stops key parts of Idaho House Bill 752, which Republican Gov. Brad Little signed earlier this year and which was set to take effect on July 1, 2026. Under the law, a first violation would have been a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison. A second violation within five years would have become a felony carrying up to five years in prison.

Brailsford said the six transgender Idaho residents who filed the lawsuit were likely to succeed on their claim that the law is unconstitutionally vague. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Idaho, Lambda Legal, Alturas Law Group and Munger, Tolles & Olson. The ruling means transgender people covered by the injunction can continue using public restrooms consistent with their gender identity without facing those criminal penalties while the case moves forward.

The law reached beyond state buildings. It applied to government-owned buildings and private businesses open to the public, putting Idaho at the center of a widening national clash over transgender access to restrooms, schools and other public spaces. The ACLU said Idaho’s statute stands apart from similar state restrictions because it is the only one that extends to private businesses and because it carries the steepest criminal penalties.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said the state plans to appeal, arguing the ruling is narrow and that the law remains enforceable in most settings. Supporters of the challenge said the injunction spares transgender residents from having to choose between safety, privacy and the threat of arrest.

The broader fight is not over. A separate Idaho law restricting transgender restroom access in schools remains in effect, underscoring how state lawmakers and federal courts are colliding over the limits of transgender rights and the constitutional scrutiny now facing some of the harshest restroom restrictions in the country.