County
Ada Commish Tries To Influence Judge
March 17, 2021 
The IDAHO PRESS has revealed a blockbuster story detailing an attempt by Ada Commish Ryan Davidson to influence Judge David Manweiler to “accommodate” political activist Ammond Bundy’s refusal to wear a COVID mask inside the courthouse.
Davidson denied any attempt to influence the judge, but said the mask issue was his own personal belief.
While Davidson claims to have been attempting to resolve a tense issue on the steps of the court house, he was treading on thin legal ice when he talked to a judge about a pending case in which he (Davidson) was not a party.
Idaho Code 18-1353 was sent to the GUARDIAN by a reader. It says in part: “Threats and other improper influence in official and political matters. (1) Offenses defined. A person commits an offense if he:
(d) privately addresses to any public servant who has or will have an official discretion in a judicial or administrative proceeding any representation, entreaty, argument or other communication with purpose to influence the outcome on the basis of considerations other than those authorized by law.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Mar 17, 2021, 12:35 pm
Interesting how this particular news item is a follow up to one where the Republican commish’s did something good. Very good, in fact.
Mar 17, 2021, 2:10 pm
Hmm, why is the judge insisting on a mask? Isn’t this a county owned building? NOT Boise? Do we have judges that are insisting on making the law like the Superior Court where they refuse to hold JURY trials and people have been held in jail as they can’t afford bail. Who told BG that this was treading on THIN ICE???
EDITOR NOTE–Asking a judge to do something with a case outside the court room and not being a party to either side qualifies as “thin ice.”
Mar 17, 2021, 3:17 pm
The mask requirement is based on an Idaho Supreme Court order dated Nov 23, 2020. Individual judges do not have any discretion on the issue. A subsequent supreme court order allows jury trials to commence effective March 1.
Pending HB 281 might remove the mask requirement. However, like the legislature, the supreme court generally establishes its rules regardless of what is required of executive agencies and political subdivisions.
Mar 17, 2021, 3:29 pm
I have heard of many courts allowing proceedings to be virtual. Curious if Mr. Bundy requested in advance of his court date for a remote hearing, or if he did not to ensure it would be a publicity event for him.
I would be more sympathetic to his situation if he requested an accommodation in advance and was denied.
Mar 17, 2021, 4:22 pm
What most people do not understand is a Judge is like a captain of a ship. As such they can do and ask pretty much anything inside their courtrooms. I have personally seen people remanded to the Sheriff for 24 hrs. when they failed to read and sign their rights form. I have also seen “Free Men” sit in jail for weeks and weeks on end for failing to book into jail when they are arrested. They finally wise up and get with the program and have managed to gain nothing in the process.
I have no sympathy for Mr. Bundy as he has wasted time and made a big fool of himself with all this nonsense. Mr. Bundy is what I like to call a rebel without a clue.
Mar 17, 2021, 6:09 pm
Thin ice? The Comish has a R behind his name so the solution is easy.
Have the prosecutor in Canyon County do his standard investigation for Ada County. We know how that works. Open and closed cased in the wink of an eye.
Besides some don’t like the mask rule so what’s the big deal? Bundy would have never had to cause the incident at the Statehouse last August if there hadn’t been a mask rule to begin with. Its not like he and his followers invaded the Capital With the intent of causing damage.
On a serious note…It seems like Ada County Prosecutor should be looking into what happened at the judge’s home and WHO was behind that attempt to intimidate that judge.
It is one thing to protest on the court house steps but at his house?
But then maybe the prosecutor doesn’t agree with the mask rule either.
e dont
Mar 17, 2021, 8:53 pm
Paul L Aldridge, well said sir…that is Maritime or Admiralty Law, which is how most courts that are not Common law or Constitutional law operate. The delineation, between the various types is a quite interesting subject matter.
In regards to Bundy, and let me preface by saying, I am a constitutional conservative, and I am proud to have never succumbed to the fear mongers and have not worn a mask since this social experiment started, due to the symbolic silencing of Americans that has mostly succeeded.
I think Bundy’s heart is in the right place, but it seems he likes attention too. Maybe it’s good for his cause, maybe it’s bad, I don’t know, but it’s who he is, it seems.
In regards to Davidson, who knows what really happened. Things these days are taken out of context to appease one sides belief system or the other depending on which way the wind blows. And there’s a lot of wind to go around for all!!
If something really illegal happened, sure go get him, but this is most likely a flaccid overexaggeration.
God bless–Nate
Mar 17, 2021, 9:48 pm
Have Bundy and Davidson ever considered getting an actual job and quite wasting our time and taxpayers resources?
Mar 17, 2021, 10:48 pm
Day 1: Ada County Commish exemplifies sophisticated and nuanced reading of the bond/indebtedness rules — bless ye’ guardian of fairness to the people!
Day 2: Same Ada Count Commish attempts (miserably) to influence the judge in criminal case of political import by asking for “accommodation” to his political ally.
Dave! Your readers are not dumb, they see the dissonance. You owe them a coherent explanation (which you can’t give, because it’s not coherent).
Mar 18, 2021, 9:37 am
Nate, almost 2,000 Idahoans have died from COVID, not to mention of the many illnesses and interruptions in medical care . Anti-maskers have certainly contributed to the results, to some degree.
Are you proud of that too?
teamwork is a good thing.
Mar 18, 2021, 9:56 am
Davidson and Beck are just examples of rookies getting elected. We are sure to witness many more examples of their naivete. They are more concerned about RLimbaugh’s family than the family of the Idaho COVID families.
Davidson’s website says,”Commissioners need to follow the law”.
Ironic, right?
A Libertarian is NOT a Republican.
If they had all reasonable thoughts they would be able to survive on their own party instead of hijacking the Republican party.
An L is not an R.
Mar 18, 2021, 12:12 pm
Boise Lawyer…I think Davidson owes the explanation…not Dave.
Mar 18, 2021, 12:40 pm
Beck is no rookie. He’s a dyed in the (red) wool politician. He served in the Idaho State Senate from 1985 through 1990, and again 1994–95. He is a former regional party chair for the Idaho Republican Party, and chaired Donald Trump’s Idaho campaign in 2016.
Davidson is another matter altogether—obviously still wet behind the ears.
Mar 18, 2021, 1:56 pm
You take a story out of the COMMIE Idaho Press. The only thing that rag is good for is lighting my fireplace. I’m sick of reading the Associated Press’s version of what goes on in Idaho. Bundy was well within his rights NOT to wear a mask. When you mask-pusher COVID hoax swallowers find out the real truth about the CCP Bio terrorism attack on the U.S. you’ll be singing a different tune and the MASKS will be gone. And in response to Easterner, you haven’t got the faintest idea how many people really died of COVID. Flu deaths are gone, heart disease is gone, bur COVID is king. And by the way, who’s going to sue Brad Little because he prevented HCQ from being given to the elderly who died in Idaho. AMA and American Medical Journal have both (belatedly) admitted that HCQ is the BEST therepeutic.
Mar 18, 2021, 8:27 pm
@“Patriot” Idaho, perhaps you could provide a link that supports your statement in favor of HCQ as a therepeutic (sic)?
It would be most credible if it pertains to a peer reviewed study and not just something you read on Facebook, Parler, etc.
Also, your theory that this was a bio weapon attack would seem to provide all the more reason for mask wearing, social distancing, etc. It makes no difference whether it was an attack, an accidental release from a lab or came from a local wet market. The mitigation strategy (i.e., try to minimize spread of a respiratory virus) would be the same in all cases.
Of course, the political response from the US and other countries would be substantially different if the cause is ever known with certainty.
In any event, I await your response. Just remember a fundamental tenet of science – big claims require big evidence.
Mar 19, 2021, 9:21 am
Today is garbage day at mi casa.
Maybe it is also garbage day at your place Guardian and you can take out the garbage of @Patriot. Such garbage is against the honest reporting and monitoring this blog purports to uphold. Or does this blog just want to be another Facebook?
EDITOR NOTE–PD, I have no problem going on record as not endorsing or believing the comment. However, as soon as the GUARDIAN or anyone else refuses to allow their voice on an open forum, we are accused of “censorship.” We depend upon thinking people to make up the bulk of our comments. They can filter the garbage and also offer intelligent dialog.
Mar 19, 2021, 3:00 pm
Patriot, Why don’t you sue Brad Little as you suggest and report back?
Mar 19, 2021, 7:18 pm
I choose to believe that Patriot Idaho is actually a clever parody, and the beginning of a beautiful and hilarious presence in the comments.
Erico49: Yes. You’re right. Still, it would warm my heart to see make an admission like, “Davidson may be an idiot but on my pet issue, by god, he’s my idiot!”
Mar 19, 2021, 7:43 pm
touche rabula.
Although, ‘aged and rambling’ may be a better description for Beck than rookie, or maybe it is ‘reborn’.
80’s? 90-94?
Many of our current voters were not even alive back then. And many more were not paying attention back then. For them, Beck is another ‘old white guy’ and might as well be at his first run at any office simply supported by the nutty teabaggers moving into West Ada.
For the political curious let’s remember that his leadership of Trump16 resulted in Ted Cruz winning the Primary nomination in Idaho. A loss.
He lost out to McDonald in ’16.
He lost in ’18 to be Party Treasurer.
Sooo, is this his first political win since 1994?
A comeback kid, or a just-like-a- rookie in the NEW crazy world, where a politician gets pushed in to lead a public healthcare organization instead of a medical professional?
.
I’m sure a little more dive would show more for my point- there will be more examples in the future of bad Ada County decisions. Just a prediction. 🙂
here’s a recap of a previous Davidson/Beck misstep: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article241481386.html
Mar 30, 2021, 9:45 am
Everyone is forgetting that these mask mandates violate Constitutional rights. This whole charade has gone way too far.
This COVID scam is a SARS-CoV-2…it’s a COLD that affects the respiratory system. It has a 94.6% recovery rate for people over 70 WITH high co-morbidities.
Most masks are made with toxic elements and you shouldn’t wear them. Mask experts at OSHA will tell you they are only meant for SHORT periods to wear. But all that got silenced when this thing began.
Just read up on Guy Crittenden- “The blue typical mask depicted in the photograph contain Teflon and other chemicals. A Facebook friend reminds us: 1. Masks are “sterilized” with Ethylene Oxide — a known carcinogen. Many teachers in various school boards have been experiencing significant symptoms as a direct result of the effects of this chemical. 2. The masks contain (not sprayed with) PTFE which makes up Teflon along with other chemicals.
I found and have posted the US patent to allow manufacturers to use PTFE as a filter in commercial masks… breathing these for extended periods can lead to lung cancer.””
https://healthfreedomidaho.org/is-that-mask-giving-you-lung-cancer/