BOISE, Idaho — The lawsuit filed less than a week before the primary election by the Idaho Republican Party and then-Chairman Tom Luna against the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee has been dismissed.
The Idaho GOP's lawsuit accused the Bonneville County organization of violating party bylaws and state election laws by distributing a flyer that listed the BCRCC's candidate endorsements in legislative and statewide races and claimed to be from the "official" Republican party. On May 13, the Friday before the primary election, an Ada County District Court judge issued a restraining order against further distribution of the flyer.
However, Ada County District Judge Lynn Norton on Thursday granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and dismissed it with prejudice, meaning the claim can't be refiled. The decision also nullifies the restraining order.
In a news release following Thursday's court decision, the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee said, "The vacation of this order reinforces the great value and importance of freedom of speech, as well as the Republican Party organization's role in preserving the principles upon which it is founded."
The BCRCC, based in Idaho Falls, also noted that delegates to this summer's Idaho Republican Convention "overwhelmingly" passed a resolution calling for the party's executive committee to drop the lawsuit. At that same convention, Luna lost the Idaho GOP chairmanship to Rep. Dorothy Moon, who lives in Custer County. Moon lost her bid for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State and will no longer be in the Idaho Legislature after the November election.
The BCRCC statement concludes: "The BCRCC is excited for the future of the Republican Party, both in Bonneville County and all across Idaho. We look forward with eagerness to the many wonderful things we will accomplish as we continue to advance the principles of the Republican Party."
The Idaho Republican Party on Friday issued a brief statement mentioning that the court has dismissed the lawsuit.
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