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Supreme Court, 8-1, upholds petition disclosure
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| Contributor | Brandonius Maximus |
| Last Edited | Brandonius Maximus Jun 24, 2010 11:16am |
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| Category | Legal Ruling |
| Author | Josh Gerstein |
| News Date | Thursday, June 24, 2010 05:15:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The Supreme Court, by a vote of 8 to 1 and with nearly as many opinions as there are justices, has upheld a Washington state law that requires the public disclosure of the names and addresses of referendum petition signers.
The court acted in response to a legal challenge brought by same-sex marriage opponents who were attempting to overturn a state law expanding domestic partnership rights. Proponents of a referendum on rescinding the law said they feared threats and intimidation by pro-gay-marriage activists, following instances of such activity in California in response to a recent referendum there.
The court's majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, essentially punts on the central question of whether signers of anti-same-sex marriage petitions would be so intimidated that disclosing their identities could violate their First Amendment rights. The majority ruled instead that, as a general matter, allowing public inspection did not violate the First Amendment. |
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