Judge Disqualified from Magic Dam Dispute
KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — A judge who ordered a canal company to release water from a dam in south-central Idaho so a leaking hydraulic oil line could be repaired has been disqualified from the legal process at the request of the canal company. The Idaho Mountain Express reports the Big Wood Canal Co. filed a disqualification motion against 5th District Court Judge Robert Elgee on Nov. 1. Elgee on Oct. 23 ordered the company to release water from Magic Reservoir after Magic Reservoir Hydroelectric, a wholly-owned subsidiary of J.R. Simplot Co., filed the lawsuit seeking to force the canal company to release water. Idaho judicial rules allow a litigant to disqualify one judge without stating a reason. The drawdown of the reservoir in southern Blaine County began late last month.