All about the case
I was interviewed by NPR’s Don Wimberly yesterday on Boise State Radio, in a conversation all about the Duncan case, including the media’s court filing to maintain public access to the proceedings. You can listen here online.
Eye On Boise
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008
Denial could lead to automatic reversal
Federal prosecutors aren’t objecting to Duncan’s request to serve as his own attorney. Deputy U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson told the court that when Duncan pleaded guilty on Dec. 7 to all 10 counts in the federal indictment against him, he made a statement “that was…
Judge orders mental evaluation of Duncan
Joseph Duncan must undergo a mental evaluation before U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge will agree to let him act as his own attorney, the judge decided this morning. Lodge told the convicted killer and child molester that having observed his conduct in court several times,…
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
Transportation board cuts programs
Faced with a giant shortfall for road maintenance, the Idaho Transportation Board voted today to cut three programs starting in 2011, shifting their funding to pavement preservation. Gone will be the enhancement program, which funds bike paths, visitor centers and historic kiosks; the congestion program,…
Slow going so far in Duncan jury selection
The going has been slow so far this morning. Eight of the 30 prospective jurors called in today in the Duncan death penalty proceedings were dismissed right off, based on their responses to jury questionnaires. Then, the attorneys began individual questioning of the 22 remaining,…
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
Duncan chose the prison garb
Here’s an odd note: The reason Joseph Duncan was wearing prison-issue yellow scrubs in court today was because he wanted to. The convicted killer’s attorneys wanted him to dress in civilian clothes for today’s court proceedings, but Duncan refused. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge confirmed…
And another - this time the other way
The government challenged another prospective juror who said she was opposed to the death penalty and wrote in her jury questionnaire repeatedly, “I don’t think we have the right to put anyone to death.” Duncan defense attorney Judy Clarke questioned the juror at length, however,…
Big challenges in jury selection for Duncan
At least initially, it’s proving difficult to find jurors to sit for the death penalty proceedings for Joseph Duncan. First, six potential jurors, four men and two women, were brought in and excused right off. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge said, “Counsel stipulates and the…
TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008
Media, organizations call for open hearings
The public should be able to “observe all matters’’ considered by a U.S. District Court jury that will decide if confessed killer Joseph Duncan should face the federal death penalty, 16 media and open-government organizations argued in a legal brief filed in federal court today.…
More Idaho inmates shipped out of state
Idaho’s state prisons have shipped another 120 inmates off to an out-of-state private prison, in this case the North Fork Correctional Facility in Sayre, Okla. They join another 120 Idaho prisoners who were sent to the Oklahoma lockup in September. It’s owned and operated by…
MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008
Duncan case turns Boise Centre into courthouse
Hundreds of potential jurors started lining up outside Boise’s convention center as early as 7:30 this morning, in a line that snaked through the city’s central Grove plaza, to start the process of deciding whether Joseph Duncan should die. The 327-person jury pool is the…
SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008
'Unavoidable' GOP lawsuit filed against state
The Idaho Republican Party has filed suit in federal court against GOP Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, challenging the state’s current open primary election system. The complaint, filed late Friday, asks the court for an injunction against the state and Ysursa, “compelling implementation of a…
FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008
It's the political news of the day
Here’s a link to my full story in today’s Spokesman-Review about Larry Grant ceding the Democratic nomination for Congress to Walt Minnick – allowing a more focused campaign by Democrats to take out freshman GOP Rep. Bill Sali. And here’s a link to the Congressional…
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2008
Minnick statement on Grant withdrawal
Democratic congressional candidate Walt Minnick has issued a statement on fellow Democrat Larry Grant’s withdrawal from the race. “I am honored and humbled by Larry’s decision, and I will not let him or his supporters down,” Minnick said. “These are difficult times. Getting through them…
'Purely a strategic political decision'
Larry Grant says it was “purely a strategic political decision” for him to drop out of the 1st District congressional race. “The object of this game is to take advantage of something that only happens every so often, which is a real opportunity to take…
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008
School zone bill sponsor caught speeding in school zone
Oops. Sen. John Goedde, sponsor of the bill to sharply increase Idaho’s fines for speeding in school zones, was caught speeding in a Boise-area school zone on Feb. 28 – the very day his bill was being debated in the state Senate. “There was some…
Groups rally to keep bikeway funds
Mayors, counties, businesses and organizations from across the state are appealing to the Idaho Transportation Board to preserve funding for bikeways and pedestrian pathways, as the board looks at how to cope with a $200 million annual road maintenance shortfall that lawmakers didn’t address this…
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008
'Like a perfect storm - everything seemed to go wrong'
For a politician whose party holds three-quarters of the seats in the Legislature, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter didn't get far with state lawmakers this year. He wasn’t helped by state revenues that plummeted after he unveiled an ambitious budget; missing a crucial month of the…
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008
Hansen named new Idaho Dems director
Former state Rep. Jim Hansen of Boise has been named the new executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party, replacing John Foster, who now works for the Walt Minnick congressional campaign. Hansen is an attorney who served three terms in the Idaho Legislature, headed the…
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008
Little parachutes falling from the balcony...
When House Speaker Lawerence Denney swung his gavel to adjourn the House sine die, all the representatives in the upper balcony tossed little paratrooper toys off the upper tier, which then floated down festively onto their colleagues below under small parachutes. “A little love from…
Missed it by THAT much
The Senate has just voted 23-11 in favor of HJR 5, the new constitutional amendment regarding local government debt – but that wasn’t enough. The measure needed 24 votes to have the needed two-thirds to ask voters to amend the constitution. So that measure is…
House has concurred
Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake just asked for unanimous consent to concur in the Senate amendments to HB 599a, and there was no objection – so it was unanimous. Now the House still must debate and take a final vote on the amended bill. The…
Quote of the hour
Senate Tax Chairman Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, just told the Senate, as he opened debate on the amended personal property tax bill, HB 599: “If you don’t know what this bill does at this point, you probably don’t deserve to be re-elected.” The comment was greeted…
Time to choke off the session?
The dreaded sheep tie has arrived and been placed around my neck, and it turns out to depict a black sheep standing out among the fluffy white ones. Meanwhile, the Senate has received the report of the conference committee, taken HB 599 to the 14th…
Senate votes 20-15 for primary bill
On the final day of the Legislature, the Idaho Senate has gotten itself embroiled in a protracted debate about primary election procedures. After moving SB 1507, the “call-for ballot” bill, to the 14th order for amendment, the Senate amended it to allow a party to…
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