O, what a scene of foolery

The Idaho Legislature has adjourned on April Fools Day twice before – on April 1, 1994, closing an 82-day session, and on April 1, 1987, ending an 80-day session.

But Boise State University political scientist Jim Weatherby points out that lawmakers appear to have intentionally avoided an April Fools Day ending many other times, ending in the four days preceding it nine times since 1967, including three adjournments on March 31st. “What I remember is past legislatures avoiding an April Fools Day adjournment, but when they actually happen, I don’t recall a lot of fallout,” said Weatherby, a longtime watcher of Idaho politics. “They’ve hovered around that, and flirted with it many times, but it was only those two sessions. I don’t remember any extraordinary amount of abuse heaped upon them.”

So why would lawmakers be shy of the date? “I mean, it’s just setting themselves up for ridicule on that day, clearly,” Weatherby said, “but it was interesting to me – I don’t remember, nothing really stands out that they were terribly embarrassed by adjourning on that day.”