The U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho partially struck down several Idaho laws regulating water rights on federal lands. The court found some provisions unconstitutional but upheld a law concerning the forfeiture of water rights if they remain unused.
The case arose from a 2022 lawsuit by the federal government against the state and the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) that challenged the constitutionality of water rights statutes passed between 2017 and 2022.
The lawsuit focused on regulations affecting stockwater rights on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) after the IDWR issued orders to the BLM requiring it to explain why 68 federal stockwater rights should not be forfeited, according to court documents.
