Larry Stickney
On July 28, 2009, Protect Marriage Washington and two petitioner signers filed suit against the Washington Secretary of State to prevent the Secretary of State from releasing the names and addresses of over 138,500 Washington citizens who stood up in defense of marriage by signing a referendum to put the domestic partnership law on the ballot.
On Saturday, July 25, Protect Marriage Washington submitted petitions containing the signatures in an effort to place Referendum 71 on the November 2009 ballot regarding what is commonly referred to as the “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law. If the Secretary of State certifies the petition, the law will not become effective unless a majority of Washington citizens vote to ”approve” the act of the state legislature.
Opponents have now threatened to obtain copies of the petition, which contain the name and address of each petition signer, in an effort to make them available on the internet. The clear goal of this effort is to intimidate and harass supporters of a traditional definition of marriage, an increasingly common tactic among opponents of traditional marriage. Protect Marriage Washington has asked the Court to immediately stop the Secretary of State from releasing the names until the Court can hold a hearing on whether the names should ever be released.
“The State cannot allow the release of the names on the Referendum 71 petition when the purpose is to harass and intimidate people who are merely exercising their right to speak,” said James Bopp, Jr., lead counsel in the case.
Larry Stickney, Campaign Manager for Protect Marriage Washington said that “No petition signer should have to endure the threats and harassment I endured while circulating the petition.”
Bopp added. “It is clear that the individuals who signed the petition will be harassed if the Secretary of State releases the names. The Court can prevent this harassment by preventing the Secretary of State from releasing the names.”
The case is before the Honorable Judge Benjamin H. Settle, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, in Tacoma. Attorney Stephen Pidgeon (Everett, WA), an Alliance Defense Fund Allied Attorney, is serving as local counsel in the case.
James Bopp, Jr. has a national federal and state election law practice. He is General Counsel for the James Madison Center for Free Speech and former Co-Chairman of the Election Law Subcommittee of the Federalist Society.
Anyone who has signed that petition and fears for their safety, I will be happy to train them in firearms and home defense for free.
Oops – handle from another forum..
hey I do have a life
ok I don’t
It’s not only their physical safety people are worried about.
They are also worried about their jobs.
Perhaps it would confuse them more if you ran away further.
Everytime I read that, Strat, I laugh harder.
I look forward to the day someone is fired because of a petition.
Not for proving anything, except to those who assume I am a nut for trying to tell them what we already know.
In Florida, the same newspapers that fought the publishing of the names of perverts, gladly did that to all CCWP holders.
Now, I was against putting the names of pervs in a newspaper, seeing how easy it is to be railroaded in our so-called “justice” system these days.
But at the least, all those I warned on the Convention Floor in Spokane in 2008 will be wailing and gnashing their teeth, and then hopefully they will have learned. Or not. I don’t care about them. My Worm Food list is long indeed and they are on it.
Free training offer will stand for those who get it, always.
I am quite certain, Dok, that those responsible for the Convention dislocation of 2008 have not put their signature to that petition.