Idaho leaders OK paying legal fees in ballot initiative case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little, the attorney general and top leaders in the House and Senate have approved paying $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 four Republicans who comprise the Constitutional Defense Council voted 4-0 on Monday to pay the winning side's legal fees.

Idaho lawmakers earlier this year approved the measure, and Little signed it into law.

But the Idaho Supreme Court in August rejected the law as unconstitutional and ordered the state to pay attorney fees for Reclaim Idaho and another group.