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Tag: Doe v. Reed

U.S. high court declines to block R-71 petitions

U.S. high court declines to block R-71 petitions

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected efforts by foes of gay-marriage to block Washington state from releasing Referendum 71 petitions while an appeal is underway in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court gave no reasoning for denying the motion by Protect Marriage Washington to issue an injunction.  The order indicates that Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is responsible for motions arising from the 9th Circuit, referred the request to the full court, which did not support the motion. The…

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R-71 petitions sealed as foes appeal

R-71 petitions sealed as foes appeal

Protect Marriage Washington, which is appealing the Doe v. Reed ruling that upheld release of Referendum 71 petitions, has filed an emergency motion with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to halt further release of the petitions while the appeal proceeds. The State Archives in the Office of Secretary of State already has released more than 30 sets of the 137,000 signatures, and has two more pending. But on advice of counsel, further releases are suspended until the court considers…

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Judge: Ruling on Doe v. Reed R-71 disclosure case in 2 weeks

Judge: Ruling on Doe v. Reed R-71 disclosure case in 2 weeks

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle says he will rule within two weeks on a request from gay-marriage foes that he permanently seal Referendum 71 petitions from public access.  Settle didn’t indicate how he will rule, but did say at one point from the bench Monday that the record submitted by challengers is “devoid” of direct evidence of harassment that could result if the petitions are released. Katie Blinn, state co-director of elections, said following a hearing in Tacoma that she’s…

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Secretary Reed tapped for open-government honor

Secretary Reed tapped for open-government honor

Secretary of State Sam Reed, who has made government transparency and access to public records a signature issue during his three terms, has been ann0unced as the 2011 winner of the James Madison Award of the Washington Coalition for Open Government. The award honors Reed’s “appreciation for, and dedication to, the cause of open government since taking office,” including advocacy of accessible and accountable government, preserving and displaying public records, battling successfully in the Supreme Court to defend the public’s…

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R-71 petition challenge heads back to court in May

R-71 petition challenge heads back to court in May

(UPDATED AT 12:25 p.m., Nov. 19 to show Eyman has dropped his state lawsuit.) Protect Marriage Washington, gay-marriage opponents who sponsored a public vote on the state’s new domestic partnership law last November, have been given a May 31 trial date for their effort to ban public release of the 138,000 names of people who signed Referendum 71 petitions. In the meantime, the names will remain sealed, under a ruling from the bench this week by U.S. District Judge Benjamin…

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Initiative petition release green-lighted

Initiative petition release green-lighted

The Office of Secretary of State has begun the process of releasing copies of petitions for about a dozen initiatives, most sponsored by initiative activist Tim Eyman. Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks on Friday lifted his previous ban on releasing initiative and referendum petitions under the state’s voter-approved Public Records Act.  The Secretary of State’s public records officer, Brenda Galarza, on Tuesday began making arrangements with individuals who had requested the petitions submitted for 11 initiatives in earlier…

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R-71 case: Nearly 2m signatures released w/o incident

R-71 case: Nearly 2m signatures released w/o incident

The state Elections Division, preparing for another court challenge of the Secretary of State’s policy of releasing initiative petitions under terms of the voter-approved Public Records Act, notes that nearly 2 million signatures have been released in recent years, without apparent incident. By the numbers: Year Released Initiative Initiative Subject Number of Signatures Submitted 2006 & 2007 917 Motor Vehicle Charges 265,809 2006 & 2007 920 Estate Tax 395,219 2009 933 Regulation of Private Property 317,353 2007 937 Energy Resources…

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R-71 public records update: Release ban continues

R-71 public records update: Release ban continues

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle has ruled that Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed   will continue to be blocked from releasing Referendum 71 signatures while challengers mount a federal court case that aims to keep the 138,000 names under wraps permanently. The judge, in a brief hearing in his courtroom in Tacoma on Wednesday, agreed to the Reed’s request for an expedited hearing schedule. The challengers, Protect Marriage Washington, will release a list of its witnesses so the Attorney General…

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R-71 records: McKenna, Reed head to Supreme Court

R-71 records: McKenna, Reed head to Supreme Court

Attorney General Rob McKenna and Secretary of State Sam Reed hope to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the state’s strong voter-approved Public Records Act and the policy of allowing release of initiative and referendum petitions, as most states do. Reed, the state’s chief elections officer, is the respondent in the closely watched Doe v. Reed lawsuit that could affect how petitions are handled across America.  He and McKenna met with the press on Monday to describe the landmark…

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Ninth Circuit announces Doe v. Reed hearing dates

Ninth Circuit announces Doe v. Reed hearing dates

The Attorney General’s Office informed us Tuesday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has announced the schedule for the appeal filed by the state in Doe v. Reed, which deals with the issue of blocking the release of the names and addresses of the Referendum 71 petition signers. The appeal’s oral argument will take place Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. in Pasadena, Calif.  Here is the order that came from the Ninth Circuit.