Senate panel sends bill making firing squad Idaho’s primary execution method to floor after split vote

BOISE — The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send House Bill 37 to the Senate floor with a "do pass" recommendation after a contentious hearing and public testimony on Feb. 10, 2025.

Sen. Doug Ricks, R-34, told the committee that House Bill 37 reverses the order of methods currently listed in Idaho law so that a firing squad would be the primary option and lethal injection a secondary option. "This just provides an option that we can carry out," Ricks said, describing the change as a response to recent problems finding IV access and to ensure the state can carry out lawful sentences.

The bill’s proponents and opponents framed the issue around two core concerns: the reliability and litigation risk associated with lethal injection versus the humaneness, dignity and broader impacts of making a firing squad the state’s primary method.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses said the change could shorten years of litigation about methods of execution and avoid logistical hurdles that have blocked executions. Opponents said the firing squad is gruesome for witnesses and may not be clearly less prone to legal challenge.

At th…