Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over effort to close Arkansas Republican primary
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/05/2025 (325 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit aimed at making Arkansas’ GOP primary open only to registered Republicans.
U.S. District Judge Brian Miller on Monday granted the motion to dismiss the lawsuit that had been filed by about two dozen of the delegates from the state Republican Party’s convention last year.
The lawsuit stemmed from delegates at the state Republican Party convention voting to allow only registered GOP voters to participate in the party’s primary. The party’s executive committee in July nullified that proposal and several other actions by the convention, saying proper steps weren’t taken to consider them.
“Although plaintiffs’ positions are understandable, their claims must be dismissed because federal court is not the appropriate forum to resolve their dispute,” Miller wrote in the seven-page order.
Voters in Arkansas aren’t required to choose a party when they register, and the majority of voters don’t pick Republican or Democratic.
Attorney General Tim Griffin, whose office represented the state in the case, said he appreciated the judge dismissing the case.
“This dispute was settled within the Republican Party of Arkansas months ago,” Griffin said in a statement. “It never made sense for the state to be sued over it.”
The lawsuit had named the Arkansas Republican Party chairman, the secretary of state and members of the state board of election commissioners as defendants.
Jennifer Lancaster, the lead plaintiff in the case, said she and the other delegates were “prayerfully and strategically” considering their next steps.
“We stood up to protect the Republican Party from being hijacked by Democrats voting in our primaries,” Lancaster said in a statement. “We believe that Republican nominees should be chosen by Republican voters. That’s not radical — it’s foundational.”