Lawrence Wasden

Lawrence Garth Wasden (born November 3, 1957) is the current Attorney General of the state of Idaho serving since 2003, and is the longest serving Attorney General in Idaho history.[1]

Lawrence Wasden
32nd Attorney General of Idaho
Assumed office
January 6, 2003
GovernorDirk Kempthorne
Jim Risch
Butch Otter
Brad Little
Preceded byAl Lance
Personal details
Born (1957-11-03) November 3, 1957
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Tracey Wasden
Children4
EducationBrigham Young University (BA)
University of Idaho (JD)

Education

Wasden earned a B.A. from Brigham Young University in 1982, and a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1985.[2]

Tenure

In July 2017, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led a group of Republican Attorneys General from nine other states, including Wasden, plus Idaho Governor Butch Otter, in threatening the Donald Trump administration that they would litigate if the president did not terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that had been implemented by President Barack Obama. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery subsequently reversed his position and withdrew his participation from the proposed suit. Slatery went further to urge passage of the DREAM Act.[3][4] The other Attorneys General who joined in making the threats against Trump included Steve Marshall of Alabama, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Derek Schmidt of Kansas, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Doug Peterson of Nebraska, Alan Wilson of South Carolina, and Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia.[5]

In 2019, Attorneys General from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and all four U.S. territories were offered the opportunity to support a bill, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (H.R. 1595), sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), which would permit marijuana-related businesses in states and territories to use the banking system. The bill would facilitate collection of taxes levied on the $8.3 billion industry, reduce the danger of operating cash-only businesses and more effectively monitor the industry. Only Wasden and 16 other A.G.s did not support the measure. [6]

In 2020, Wasden declined to join the Texas election lawsuit, saying “Idaho is a sovereign state and should be free to govern itself without interference from any other state. Likewise, Idaho should respect the sovereignty of its sister states.”[7]

Personal

Wasden is married with four children.

Electoral history
Idaho Attorney General Republican Primary Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden 39,917 32.20
Republican Michael Bogert 37,862 30.50
Republican Todd Lakey 29,154 23.50
Republican Myron Dan Gabbert 17,071 13.80
Idaho Attorney General Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden 231,851 58.10
Democratic Keith Roark 167,353 41.90
Idaho Attorney General Republican Primary Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden (inc.) 89,327 73.70
Republican Myron Dan Gabbert 31,795 26.30
Idaho Attorney General Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden (inc.) 267,700 61.75
Democratic Robert "Bob" Wallace 165,857 38.25
Idaho Attorney General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden (inc.) 367,737 100.00
Idaho Attorney General Republican Party Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden (inc.) 83,850 59.10
Republican "Chris" Troupis 58,025 40.90
Idaho Attorney General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lawrence Wasden (inc.) 289,672 68.00
Democratic Bruce Bistline 136,081 32.00

References
  1. "NAAG | Lawrence Wasden". www.naag.org. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  2. "Lawrence's Bio". www.lawrencewasden.com. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  3. Tennessee’s attorney general: I’ve changed my mind, DACA is good, pass the DREAM Act, Vox.com, Dara Linddara, September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  4. Texas leads 10 states in urging Trump to end Obama-era immigration program, Texas Tribune, Julián Aguilar, June 29, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  5. SPLC denounces letter from 10 Attorneys General seeking "cruel and heartless" repeal of DACA, Southern Poverty Law Center, June 30, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  6. Attorneys general from 33 states urge banking reform for pot industry, Associated Press, May 8, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  7. "Idaho attorney general won't join Texas election lawsuit". AP NEWS. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Al Lance		 Attorney General of Idaho
2003–present		 Incumbent
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