Local lawyer makes his case for AG

Idaho attorney general candidate Art Macomber believes it's time to be aggressive and push Idaho values forward. 

Times are changing, Macomber said in a sit-down interview Thursday with The Press.  

“The focus would be much more aggressive under my administration because I think it needs to be,” said Macomber, who will appear on the Republican primary ballot next May. “More aggressive about protecting the rights of the people, fending off the federal power and making sure Idaho values are pushed forward in the narrative. 

“We have to be outward-looking. We have to be more aggressive. That’s what I plan to do.” 

Before receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Macomber spent 25 years working for companies like Micron Electronics in construction and server product development. For the last 15 years, Macomber has practiced law in Coeur d’Alene, argued five cases before the Idaho Supreme Court, and taught at North Idaho College and Gonzaga University School of Law. 

Since Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden took office nearly two decades ago, Macomber noted a different political environment has emerged.

If elected, Macomber said three things would take precedence: 

• “Push back on the federal powers, so it doesn’t overreach and get into our business as the state of Idaho.”

• “Stabilize the office and make it responsive to the needs of Idaho today.”

• “Protect Idaho values.”

What prompted Macomber’s candidacy was his disappointment at the lack of AG involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“(Wasden) should have been speaking up,” Macomber said. 

Specifically, Macomber felt the AG Office should have issued a public response to Gov. Brad Little’s use of emergency powers when closing businesses and enforcing lockdown measures. 

“I think it’s because he perceives that the state of Idaho means the government of Idaho,” Macomber said. “The problem is, as an elected official, I think that definition has to include the people in the state of Idaho.”

In his opinion, Macomber said it would have been “a lot more rational and helpful” if the AG issued and published a statement to educate citizens on the full extent of those powers. That opinion, Macomber theorized, would both highlight what is allowed and why executive actions were being presented. 

“There’s an awful lot of political anger that’s been generated that could have been avoided by just treating the people in the state of Idaho like the rational and reasonable people that they are,” Macomber said. 

Education and proactive public outreach are a staple of Macomber’s campaign platform.

If elected, Macomber said, one of his first actions would be to review course instruction and drive curriculum “as required by Idaho constitution and statutes.” The candidate also posed ideas like an “AG fireside chat,” radio interview program and frequent publications regarding laws about ongoing matters. 

Macomber is already attempting to increase public knowledge of state law provisions through the dissemination of handheld Idaho Constitution booklets, he said. Referencing a statement by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Macomber quoted, “the States are separate and independent sovereigns. Sometimes they have to act like it.” 

“We need to recognize that the federal Constitution does not drive what we do,” he said. “This document (the state Constitution) does.”