BOISE, Idaho — State officials have taken an initial step to pay $152,000 in legal fees to the winning side after Idaho lost a court challenge to a new law making it harder for voters to get initiatives on the ballot.
The Idaho Board of Examiners comprised of Republican Gov. Brad Little and two other statewide elected officials voted on Tuesday to send the bill to the Constitutional Defense Council for a final OK.
Idaho lawmakers approved the measure, and Little signed it into law earlier this year.
But the Idaho Supreme Court in August rejected the law as unconstitutional and ordered the state to pay Reclaim Idaho's attorney fees.
The overturned law, which opponents warned would make it nearly impossible to get initiatives on ballots, required the signatures of 6% of registered voters in all 35 Idaho districts. Little vetoed a similar piece of legislation in 2019 over concerns that it would not be constitutional.
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