By MATT REYNOLDS
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) - A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing the Republican establishment of thwarting Ron Paul's bid for the party's presidential nomination, but left the door open for an amended complaint.
U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected allegations by delegates to the Republican National Convention and other Paul supporters that the party establishment used underhanded tactics to undermine Paul's bid to secure the nomination.
Though he found their claims vague and mostly unintelligible, he gave them a "third and final opportunity" to amend their complaint.
Paul's supporters had claimed that the Republican National Committee and state GOP operatives violated the Voting Rights Act by misusing state bylaws, threatening voters, and using election fraud to prevent voters and delegates from casting their votes for the libertarian icon.
They claimed that a gun had been used to "threaten a plaintiff to vote as ordered" and that "bones have been broken," among other allegations.
In his 20-page order, Carter granted the defendants' motion to dismiss, saying the claims were unintelligible and lacked plausibility under the Voting Rights Act -- the same law Paul voted against reauthorizing six years ago.
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