Monnahan told Lockhart to run for a delegate position in the precinct where she would live at the time of the convention. Party bylaws state a person may only vote in the precinct where they are living, but deGaston said the rules are unclear about the residency requirement for being a delegate.

Though she still believes Monnahan was wrong to give Lockhart that advice, and though she wanted to call attention to the Utah County party's practice of having ex officio or automatic delegates and up to 10 discretionary delegates, she didn't think she could win a challenge to Hannah Lockhart's credentials because the Lockhart and Bramble families carry so much clout in the local party.

"There is no due process and I have little expectation of winning anyway, and she is a minor child of 17 years who should not have to bear the brunt of her parents' and their friends' political maneuverings," deGaston wrote. "But by bringing these things to the attention of the party and the public I am hoping that there may be some changes in the near future rather than 'business as usual.'"

DeGaston is a family law attorney who in 2000 was suspended from the practice of law for three months and placed on two years probation by a 4th District Court judge for misconduct for taking on cases for which she was not qualified.

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com