R-71 Heads to Court -- Again

Referendum 71 02 x390 (.gov) | ADVOCATE.COM

Washington state attorney general Rob McKenna successfully appealed a federal judge’s ruling that granted an injunction to keep the names of people who signed a petition to put Referendum 71 on the ballot private, reports the Associated Press.

The petitions are considered public records under state law, but R-71's sponsors claim petition-signers could face harassment if the names are released.

Meanwhile, opponents to R-71 claim that Secretary of State Sam Reed improperly accepted thousands of petition signatures and want the names disclosed.

The 9th U.S. circuit court of appeals has scheduled a hearing on the issue for October 14 in Pasadena, Calif.

Earlier this month U.S. district judge Benjamin Settle ruled to keep the names private, but McKenna successfully argued that to do so would violate Washington’s open-government laws.

R-71, which will appear on the November 3 ballot, asks voters whether to affirm or repeal the legislatively passed expansion of the state’s domestic-partnership rights that Gov. Christine Gregoire signed into law in May.

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Reader Comments

Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Travis
Date posted: 9/23/2009 5:50:00 PM
Hometown: West Jordan

Comment:
Couldn't the legislature just come back and pass the law again?
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Jay
Date posted: 9/23/2009 8:29:42 AM
Hometown: Santa Monica

Comment:
I just went to the Attorney General's website. Here is the news: "The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today granted the state’s request to expedite the state’s appeal of the preliminary injunction granted in federal court on Sept. 10, 2009. The injunction blocks the release of Referendum 71 petitions containing the names and addresses of those who signed the measure." So the news is not that the attorney general "successfully appealed" a judge's ruling: he simply got the court to agree to hear the appeal quickly.
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Jay
Date posted: 9/23/2009 8:25:22 AM
Hometown: Santa Monica

Comment:
I don't know what this story means. It says the attorney general (whose name I thought was Even not McKenna) "successfully appealed" a federal judge's ruling to keep the names of people who signed petitions secret. Does this mean that the name are now public? I have not been able to find this information any place else. Please write more clearly and more accurately. I think this lede is bogus.

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