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The Pennsylvania Republican Party asked a county judge Tuesday, March 12, to dismiss a suit from the Butler County Republican Committee that asks the court to determine who is in charge of the committee, who remains as committee members and whether committee bylaws from 2019 or 2022 are currently in effect.

Butler attorney Tom King, who represents the state party, argued the questions and issues raised by the committee in the lawsuit are internal matters the party and committee will have to work out, and the court has no jurisdiction over the dispute.

Gregory Teufel, who filed the suit on behalf of three committee members, said the party and committee are legal entities under state law, and the court has jurisdiction.

The suit was filed on behalf of Erik Edwards, Joy Snyder and Carol Christner. According to the suit, Christner is committee president, Snyder is vice president and Edwards is co-chairman.

Edwards was elected in 2022 and Snyder and Christner were appointed as members of the committee, and all three are running for committee seats in the upcoming primary, King said.

On July 14, 2022, the committee called a meeting of the majority of the committee members who were elected in the May 17, 2022, primary. At the meeting, they elected Michael Oehling Jr. and attorney Gary Vanasdale as co-chairmen, William “Bill” Halle as president, Matthew Cornetti as vice president and Michael Freeze treasurer, and adopted amendments to committee bylaws, according to the complaint.

The committee also voted to incorporate under the name Butler County Republican Committee as a nonprofit corporation, according to the complaint. Previously, the committee was an unincorporated association.

King argued Tuesday that county committees are part of, and subordinate to, the state party, and bylaws approved by committees must be approved by the party to become official.

He said the party rejected the amended bylaws, and claimed the committee did not vote on the amendments, which do not include a provision for adopting amendments.

Teufel countered, saying party approval is not required for bylaws to take effect. The committee filed the bylaws with the Butler County Election Bureau on July 15 and also filed a list of committee members and bylaws with the state party that month.

He argued party bylaws only require committee bylaws to be filed with the party and the local election board to become official.

County committees are required to amend their bylaws if the party chairman tells them the amendments are inconsistent with party bylaws, but party approval is not required for committee bylaws to go into effect, Teufel said.

King said new committee officers will be elected when the party reorganizes the committee after the April 23 primary.

Senior Judge William Shaffer said he will issue a ruling later.