James Dawson
ReporterExpertise: Political reporting, audio editing, podcast smithing
Education: University of Idaho
Highlights
- Won my elementary school’s geography bee, failing miserably at state
- Once caught 10 rainbow trout in one hour fly fishing on the Lochsa
- Idaho Press Club board member
Experience
I cover Idaho state government and a little bit of everything else for Boise State Public Radio. Originally from Idaho’s territorial capitol north of the Time Zone Bridge, I’ve covered politics and state legislatures across the country since 2010. You’ll hear my work during Morning Edition, Idaho Matters and All Things Considered (and maybe read my newsletter, Legislative Round-up, during the session).
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A far-right blogger is asking the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn a $1.1 million civil judgment against her after falsely claiming a drag performer exposed his genitals to children at a Pride event in 2022. -
Gov. Brad Little vetoed five bills – his first of the year – Wednesday evening, though many of them didn’t make the headlines during the legislative session. -
New data presented Tuesday morning shows serious traffic accidents in Boise slowed in 2025, though the number of fatalities remained steady. -
Here are the top bills from the 2026 Idaho Legislative Session and what's still pending. -
House Republicans pushed through a bill Thursday morning that would allow people to carry guns in areas of county courthouses next year. -
Political party politics could soon officially come to Ada County Highway District elections, among other changes passed by state lawmakers Wednesday. -
State senators dealt a blow to unionized teachers in Idaho Wednesday morning after passing a last-minute bill restricting their operations. -
House lawmakers could soon consider allowing people to carry guns in parts of county courthouses in the waning days of the legislative session. -
The state Senate’s latest push to ratchet up local immigration enforcement is heading to the floor despite opposition from county sheriffs. -
Idaho Republican lawmakers are close to finalizing new eligibility rules for those receiving health insurance through the state’s Medicaid expansion program.
