Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, left, gestures during a news conference at the Arkansas Capitol. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)
A Pulaski County Circuit judge dismissed blogger Matt Campbell’s lawsuit against Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday.
Campbell sued Sanders in October, claiming her office violated the state Freedom of Information Act. Campbell spent weeks last fall using the FOIA and his Blue Hog Report blog to scrutinize the governor’s office’s use of public funds, including $19,000 spent on a lectern.
Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed a motion Monday to dismiss Campbell’s case because the plaintiff did not deliver the lawsuit’s summons and complaint to Sanders’ office within 120 days of filing the complaint, according to court documents.
Before Monday, there had been no action in the case since February, when Campbell filed a motion asking for more time to deliver the documents. Judge LaTonya Honorable never granted the request.
Campbell said Tuesday that he will refile the lawsuit with additional allegations of FOIA violations. He said he has been planning to do so for weeks and let the deadline to serve process pass on purpose.