SCOTUS Won't Block R-71 Names

The Supreme Court has declined to block the release of the names on Washington State's Referendum 71 petition. The decision is seen as portending against NOM, should their similar battle ever reach the nation's highest court.

“This means we can once again release these public records,” said Katie Blinn, co-director of state elections in the office of Secretary of State Sam Reed. The case entitled Doe v. Reed has bounced up and down in the federal court system. The Supreme Court earlier ruled, in an 8-1 decision, that signatures on initiative petitions should be a matter of public record. The Supremes sent the case back to U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma. Leighton has ruled that sponsors of the anti-gay measure did not prove that they have been harassed — or would face harassment — if named on the Ref. 71 petitions were released.