Federal Judge Dismisses Arkansas Republicans' Primary Closure Lawsuit

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by delegates of the Arkansas Republican Party seeking to restrict participation in the party's primaries to registered Republicans only. The judge ruled that federal court was not the appropriate venue for resolving the internal party dispute, emphasizing that the matter pertains to party or state rules rather than federal constitutional issues. The dispute began when delegates at the state GOP convention voted to close the primaries, but the party's executive committee later nullified this action, citing procedural shortcomings. Arkansas does not require voters to register by party, allowing residents to participate in any primary regardless of affiliation. Plaintiffs argued that only Republicans should choose their nominees to prevent party interference, but state officials and the court maintained that the issue was settled within the party. The plaintiffs are considering their next steps, while state officials expressed satisfaction with the dismissal.