“Spill baby spill.” “BP lies, the gulf dies.” “Don’t let BP buy a judge.”

These statements, painted onto brightly colored picket signs, were carried by a group of six activists this morning traveling from the Greenbelt to the James A. McClure Federal Building. The Anti-BP Mob, composed of Idaho Falls and Boise residents, marched through downtown to speak out against BP’s efforts to get a single judge with ties to the oil industry to preside over lawsuits against BP. A panel of federal judges is meeting today in Boise to discuss the lawsuits.

• Rachel Krause

Dan Casper of Idaho Falls came to Boise to show support for the families. He believes having a meeting of judges away from the Gulf “distracts from the fact that those families still need to be compensated for what has happened to them.

“People will begin to feel the full impact of this and I want to make sure people understand that we are out here to show support for those families. Any kind of help we can give, we will,” Casper said. “Everyone in our country is going to suffer from this because it is ruining an amazing natural resource. There’s not anyone that can escape from some of the things that are going to come out of this.”

Boise resident Travis Gosselin emphasized the group’s goal of making sure the victims get a fair say.

“If you’re dealing with people that are in Houston that are hurt by this, they’re not going to want their court system to be loyal to BP when making a judgment on this,” Gosselin said. “They want someone that is loyal to the people and loyal to the constitution, as opposed to their corporate partners or whoever they might have loyalty with.”

Gosselin said they received generally positive support from passersby as they marched through the city.

“People get what its about from following it everyday,” Gosselin said. “It’s important to them.”

Elena Soto of Idaho Falls said she was hoping for more people, but still felt optimistic.

“Even if it’s just 10 people strong, we’re out here doing this for them [the victims] and people can see us with our very straightforward signs,” Soto said.

• Rachel Krause

All funds the group raises through their website will be donated to the Gulf Restoration Network. Stay up to date at what’s going on at the courthouse by checking out CityDesk’s live blogging on the panel.

• Rachel Krause
• Activists march along the greenbelt in protest of BP.

The protesters marched to the James A. McClure Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse and arrived at approximately 9 a.m.

Keep checking back at CityDesk for continued updates about the protest at the courthouse and what the protesters had to say.

Although the federal Judicial panel meeting tomorrow to discuss combining lawsuits against BP may have hoped large anti-BP sentiments would not be an issue in the far reaches of Idaho, their presence isn’t going to go by unnoticed.

At 7 a.m., anti-BP protestors will meet at the Northwest corner of Ann Morrison Park, and will march at 8 a.m. to the James A. McClure Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse to protest at 9 a.m. The main purpose of the event is to show disapproval with BP’s request that U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes, who has longstanding ties with the oil industry, preside over the combined lawsuits.

"This is the first step in a long legal battle and getting off on the right foot is really important," organizer Michael Parker told Citydesk.

Because most of the promotion for the event has been organized online and on Facebook, Parker said it is difficult to estimate how many people will be present. However, he indicated around 100 people would be present on the permit application he filled out to protest on federal grounds. Park said he has received positive responses for the event and its goals of ensuring the victims have a fair say.

"It's about the people down on the Gulf," Parker said. "Because this has been taken so far away from those impacted by the disaster, they need voices up here to be supportive of them."

Those interested in participating should note that no backpacks or weapons will be allowed. Protestors are encouraged to get to the park without using a car, but if driving is necessary, they are encouraged to carpool. For more information about the event, visit the group's website.

At least 85 civil lawsuits filed against BP (et al, Halliburton) in the wake of what may become the worst oil and gas spill ever are being vetted in Boise in July.

The suits—according to Business Week, brought by commercial fishermen, shrimpers, seafood processors, property owners and tourism-related businesses harmed by the spill—could be consolidated in a single federal court. BP wants the cases consolidated in Houston, where its Gulf of Mexico operations are headquartered.

But before they can be consolidated, they must go before an obscure legal review called the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The panel, comprised of seven federal judges, meets six times a year in various cities across the country to consider such consolidations under U.S. Code 1407. On July 29, it meets in the Federal Building in Boise to consider the Deepwater Horizon spill, among other cases.

“Even though people don’t know about it, it’s been around a while,” said the judicial panel's chief deputy clerk, John Nichols. It was created in 1968, in part to help preserve judicial resources for large, widespread legal disputes.

The JPML gained some notoriety last month when it consolidated civil suits against Toyota for damages related to "sudden, unintended acceleration" to the Central District Court in California, where most of the suits had originated. The suits are consolidated for pre-trial issues that involve the same questions of law, but could return to their original jurisdiction for the actual trial.

In Boise, attorneys will duke it out over which federal court along the Gulf Coast will get first stab at the case against BP.