A federal judge has denied a motion from Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney to stay his ruling granting Reclaim Idaho a second shot at qualifying its school funding initiative for the November ballot.
Reclaim Idaho filed an expedited motion Monday afternoon, which asks the court to enforce its order by certifying the initiative for the ballot now, allowing for an up-or-down vote by Idahoans in the November general election.
The Idaho Press reports the group’s all-volunteer signature-gathering effort to qualify the initiative for the ballot was halted by the governor’s stay-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the order didn’t lift until the deadline for submitting signatures.
Reclaim Idaho had asked Little and Denney to make accommodations to allow their signature drive to continue safely during the stay-home order, but both refused.
The judge ruled that the state had violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by the refusal.
The Idaho attorney general’s office declined to comment on the ruling.
