IDAHO: State Ordered To Pay $400K To Lawyers For Marriage Equality Plantiffs

Via the Idaho Statesman:

Idaho must pay more than $400,000 to the team of lawyers who successfully fought to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage, a federal judge ruled. In her decision, U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale awarded an amount that is about 10 percent less than what the six lawyers requested. "Simply put, the case was neither easy nor ordinary," Dale wrote. "It is therefore not surprising that plaintiffs employed a team of experienced attorneys to divvy up the many legal tasks." While Gov. Butch Otter and his legal team didn't dispute that the state should pay the lawyers' fees, they did argue that the lawyers took too much time communicating with one another and charged too much in hourly fees. State lawyers argued the amount, therefore, should be cut in half to $204,049. Dale disagreed, saying that the complexity of the case warranted frequent communication and extra time to prepare for court appearances.

The $400K judgment only covers work done through May. As we know, Gov. Butch Otter (seriously) has since given the plaintiffs' lawyers a lot more nonsense to respond to. (Tipped by JMG reader Alex)