Idaho judge to decide if AG’s office will pay legal fees in open primaries lawsuit

The Ada County Courthouse in Boise on March 21, 2021. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

After dismissing Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s legal effort to block a failed election reform ballot initiative, an Idaho judge is weighing whether Labrador’s office should pay attorney fees for the other side’s legal case.

Attorneys for the Idaho Office of Attorney General and Idahoans for Open Primaries argued their cases to Idaho 4th District Judge Patrick Miller in court Thursday. The judge is expected to issue a decision at a later date.

Much of the arguments in court revolved around whether Labrador had a reasonable basis to pursue legal challenges that sought to block the initiative, Proposition 1, from 2024 general election ballots in Idaho.

A handful of protestors wave signs across the street from the Idaho State Capitol Building’s front steps, where more than 200 supporters of the Idahoans for Open Primaries rallied before turning in signatures for the ballot initiative on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)

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