Lawmaker wants no religion in Idaho courts. Does a new bill target Islamic law?
Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, said he hasn’t seen judges in Idaho base their decisions on religious law. But Foreman introduced a bill Monday to keep “religious or cultural law” out of Idaho courts.
The bill just restates what the Constitution already says, Foreman acknowledged in an interview.
“I suppose there’s possibly a preemptive element to the bill,” Foreman said. “Just because we don’t see certain issues in Idaho, doesn’t mean that at some point in the future we won’t see those issues. It’s a reiteration of our support for and appreciation of the legal system.”
He referenced “attempts in other places,” such as Texas where he specifically named “secret, underground courts,” though Foreman cautioned he didn’t know if such courts existed.
In November, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into “Sharia courts,” a reference to Islamic mediation groups that, for example, deal with divorces from the religious side, according to Texas news reports. Texas politicians have been battling over Sharia law, with some expressing Islamaphobic sentiments, according to Politico.
Foreman denied that the bill targets Islamic law.
On Monday, Nampa Republican Sen. Brian Lenney brought up Islamic law, known as Sharia, in his discussion of the bill during the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee meeting where Foreman introduced it. Lenney referenced a 2009 New Jersey decision where a wife had asked for a restraining order against her abusive husband. The husband’s argument was that under his religion, he could expect sex whenever he wanted, according to the Washington Post. The judge sided with the husband, a decision that was later overturned and was wrong under both Sharia and New Jersey law, according to the Post.
Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, said in an interview that he believed the intent of Foreman’s bill was to target Sharia law.
“I have to think that’s the reason they’re running it,” said Ruchti, who is on the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee.
Ruchti, an attorney, said his impression was that the bill’s text seemed “religion-neutral,” but he’d like to read it again.
The Idaho Legislature has seen anti-Sharia law legislation in the past. Former Rep. Eric Redman (whose son Jordan now serves in the House) repeatedly introduced such bills during his tenure from 2014 to 2018. Those bills were oft-criticized, including by then-Gov. Butch Otter, who told reporters in 2018 he didn’t see the concern.
“The courts are going to enforce our laws,” Otter said at the time. “The courts are not going to enforce some other country’s laws.”
The committee unanimously introduced the draft legislation, making it a bill. After bills are approved by the committee for introduction in the Senate, lawmakers can hold a hearing on the bill in a Senate committee. If the committee sends it to the full Senate and the Senate passes it, the process is repeated in the House. A bill passed by both houses goes to the governor to sign or veto.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 2:27 PM.
