Federal judge blocks Idaho transgender bathroom ban statewide

A federal judge has blocked Idaho from enforcing the criminal penalties in House Bill 752 against transgender residents in key restroom settings, handing advocates a major early win in a case that turns on due process, equal protection and privacy rights. The ruling was statewide and immediate, and it protects transgender Idahoans who seek to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity in government buildings and public accommodations while the lawsuit moves forward.

U.S. District Judge Amanda Brailsford granted the preliminary injunction on June 16, 2026, after six transgender Idaho residents challenged the law in federal court. She certified a statewide class covering transgender Idahoans affected by the measure, which was set to take effect July 1 after Gov. Brad Little signed it on March 31. The law, sponsored by Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle, and Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene, had been described as the most restrictive bathroom ban in the nation.

HB 752 made it a misdemeanor for a transgender person to use a restroom that does not match the sex assigned at birth in government-owned buildings and places open to the public. A second offense could have been charged as a felony carrying up to five years in prison. The law swept in public schools, universities and libraries, but also private businesses with public restrooms, including restaurants, entertainment venues, gas stations, rest stops, malls and hospitals.

Judge Brailsford’s order left portions of the law intact, but it temporarily blocked criminal penalties in multi-user restrooms where no single-user restroom is available. The court found the state’s safety justification was not supported by evidence and noted opposition from Idaho law enforcement groups that said the measure would be difficult or impossible to enforce.

The plaintiffs were represented by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Idaho, Alturas Law Group and Munger, Tolles & Olson. Advocates said the injunction means transgender people in Idaho can use restrooms without fear of arrest while the broader constitutional challenge continues. For schools, the ruling does not erase every restroom restriction in the state, since a separate Idaho law targeting transgender restroom access in schools remains in effect.

Raúl Labrador’s office, which defended the law for the state, said it planned to appeal and called the decision narrow. The office also argued that biological sex is not vague, setting up a larger fight over how far states can go in policing gender identity in everyday public spaces.