For Immediate Release
February 2, 2026
Media Contact: Damon Sidur
BOISE, ID — Today, Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced the promotion of Michael Zarian to become Idaho’s Solicitor General following the departure of Alan Hurst, who has served in the role since January 2024. Alan will be returning to private practice in his home state of Utah, where he was working before he joined the Attorney General’s office.
The Solicitor General leads the Office of Attorney General’s appellate litigation, representing Idaho before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals, and the Idaho Supreme Court in the state’s most significant constitutional and legal challenges.
Since becoming Solicitor General in January 2024, Alan Hurst has defended Idaho and its laws in the state’s most contentious litigation. Last month, he argued Little v. Hecox before the United States Supreme Court, defending Idaho’s right to protect girls’ and women’s sports from unfair participation by biological males. He has represented Idaho in cases protecting separate bathrooms and locker rooms for women, shielding youth from unproven medical treatments for gender dysphoria, and banning the distribution of obscene materials to minors. In the Ninth Circuit, he won a unanimous ruling affirming dismissal of The Satanic Temple’s challenge to Idaho’s pro-life laws, and in the Idaho Supreme Court, he successfully defended the state’s billion-dollar contract for behavioral health services.
“Alan defended some of Idaho’s most important cases with skill and conviction these last two years, especially arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court to protect women’s sports last month,” said Attorney General Labrador. “I’m grateful for his service to Idaho and wish him and his family all the best.”
Michael Zarian has served as Deputy Solicitor General since January 2024, playing a significant role in many of the office’s most consequential appeals in state and federal court. He led the team that secured reversal from the U.S. Supreme Court in M.H. v. Hamso, which addressed Idaho’s ability to decline to cover sex-transition surgeries through Medicaid. Zarian has defended Idaho’s statutes from constitutional challenges at the Idaho Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals, drafting briefs and presenting oral argument in defense of Idaho’s Parental Choice Tax Credit, Idaho’s election security laws, and the Idaho Patient Act.
An Idaho native who graduated from Eagle High School, Zarian graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics with minors in Mathematics and Business Management. He obtained his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif and with High Honors and served as a member of the University of Chicago Law Review. Following law school, Zarian clerked for the Honorable Sandra S. Ikuta on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Gregory G. Katsas on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Zarian practiced civil litigation at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Dallas, Texas, where he specialized in appeals and dispositive motions in high-stakes commercial cases.
“Michael has already proven himself, winning before the Idaho Supreme Court and successfully defending our laws in both state and federal courts,” said Attorney General Labrador. “He understands what’s at stake for Idaho families. The constitutional battles ahead are among the most consequential in our state’s history, and Michael is exactly the right attorney to lead my Solicitor General’s Office in that fight.”
About Raúl Labrador
Raúl Labrador is the 33rd Attorney General of Idaho. The Office of the Attorney General provides legal representation for the State of Idaho. This representation is furnished to state agencies, offices and boards in the furtherance of the state's legal interests. The office is part of state government’s executive branch and its duties are laid out in the Idaho Constitution.
