The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) is a conservative and libertarian think tank located in

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

Founding

IFF was begun in 2009 by Wayne Hoffman, who had been the Canyon County Republican Party vice chairman and spokesman for U.S. Rep.

Bill Sali William Thomas Sali (born February 17, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a congressman from Idaho. A Republican, he served a single term in the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2007 to 2009. Sali p ...

. Formerly, Hoffman was a newspaper reporter for the ''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

'', leaving in 2005, and before that had worked for the ''

South Idaho Press The ''South Idaho Press'' was a U.S. daily newspaper (except Saturday and Sunday) serving Minidoka and Cassia counties ( Minidoka County Cassia County) in south-central Idaho. The paper had a circulation of 3,850.

'' in Burley, the ''

Idaho Press Tribune ''The Idaho Press'' of Nampa, Idaho is the second-oldest active newspaper in Idaho, first printed in December 1883. In its early years, the newspaper was often an instrument of political influence. One of the first owners and editors was Frank Steu ...

'' in Nampa, and a southern Idaho radio station.

Issues and influence

The IFF is influential within the

Idaho Legislature The Idaho Legislature consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. Idaho is divided into 35 legislative districts, which each elect one senator and two representatives. There are no term limits for either ...

and the state's broader politics. ''Politico'' described the IFF as "an arch-conservative group that has driven challenges to so-called RINO politicians in the state". The IFF's website says it works to defeat "the state’s socialist public policies". Its Freedom Index rates Idaho legislators on their votes. In 2012, the IFF was one of the chief opponents of an Idaho state legislative bill that would have placed restrictions on

tanning bed Indoor tanning involves using a device that emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan. Typically found in tanning salons, gyms, spas, hotels, and sporting facilities, and less often in private residences, the most common device is a ho ...

usage. In 2013 and 2014, IFF put up billboards criticizing Idaho legislators for their votes to implement a state health insurance exchange. In October 2020, the IFF published a video questioning the existence of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and decrying governmental measures to combat the spread of the pandemic. Several Idaho Republican elected officials, including

Janice McGeachin Janice K. McGeachin (; born January 18, 1963) is an American far-right politician and businesswoman serving as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously a member of the Idaho Hou ...

and a number of state legislators, appeared in the video. The organization in 2021 criticized

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding ...

for holding a "Black Graduation" an addition to the traditional graduation ceremony meant to celebrate Black students. IFF called the event "segregationist." It has urged Idaho lawmakers to cut funding to Boise State. In a December 2021 opinion editorial published in the ''

Post Register The ''Post Register'' is a U.S. daily newspaper serving the Idaho Falls, Idaho, area, as well as Jackson, Wyoming, and West Yellowstone, Montana. It is owned by the Adams Publishing Group. History In 1931, The local ''Daily Post'' merged wit ...

'', former Idaho attorney general and former chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

criticized the IFF, writing "It's time to clean Idaho's House of disruptive lawmakers who worship at the Freedom Foundation altar and ignore their duty to act responsibly in the interests of their voters."

Legal challenges

The IFF has mounted various legal challenges to state and city laws and regulations. * In 2009, IFF was successful in requiring officials from

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene ( ; french: Cœur d'Alène, lit=Heart of an Awl ) is a city and the county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the largest city in North Idaho and the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistica ...

, to release public records in regards to the names, genders, salaries of all public employees. * In 2014, IFF and the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

threatened legal action against

when the school required a student group to pay security fees for bringing a pro-gun speaker to campus. Boise State refunded the student group the cost of the security fees. * In 2015, IFF sued the

Boise School District The Boise School District #1 is one of 115 public school districts in Idaho. The Boise School District serves a 456 square mile area of Ada County and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The district was founded in 1865 under the auspices of Idaho ...

over its contract with a local teachers union, the Boise Education Association. The case was dismissed due to lack of standing. * In 2016, IFF Board Chair Brent Regan and IFF sued

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2006, and reelected in 2010, and 2014. Otter ...

and others about Idaho's

Common Core State Standards Initiative The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, is an educational initiative from 2010 that details what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conc ...

testing. The case was dismissed due to the lack of standing by the plaintiffs. * In 2019, IFF Board Chair Brent Regan sued

Lawerence Denney Lawerence Denney (born February 25, 1948) is the secretary of state of Idaho. A Republican, Denney previously served as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, including three terms as Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives. Poli ...

, arguing that Medicaid expansion was unconstitutional in part because it delegated lawmaking authority to the federal government. The case was dismissed due to the ruling that the foundation of the lawsuit lacked a basis in the law. * In 2019, IFF sued

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

due to the establishment of two new urban renewal districts which prevents cities from taking on debt or liabilities without a super-majority of voter approval. The case was dismissed and appealed where it was upheld.

Funding

The organization has received funding from Donors Trust and

Donors Capital Fund Donors Capital Fund is a nonprofit United States donor-advised charity that distributes grants to conservative and libertarian organizations. Donors Capital Fund is associated with Donors Trust, another donor-advised fund. Background Donors Ca ...

, two

donor-advised fund In the United States, a donor-advised fund (commonly called a DAF) is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a public charity created to manage charitable donations on behalf of organizations, families, or individuals. To participate in a don ...

s which are not required to disclose their donors. IFF is a member of the

State Policy Network The State Policy Network (SPN) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a network for conservative and libertarian think tanks focusing on state-level policy in the United States. The network serves as a public policy clearinghouse and advises ...

, a consortium of conservative and libertarian think tanks that focus on state-level policy.

References

External links

* {{official, https://idahofreedom.org/ Libertarian think tanks Political and economic think tanks in the United States Charities based in Idaho Organizations based in Boise, Idaho Organizations established in 2009 2009 establishments in Idaho Conservative organizations in the United States