Supreme Court to Rule on Privacy Rights of Petition-Signers
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether people who signed a petition seeking to overturn a domestic partnership law have a First Amendment right to keep their names a secret.
The issue is whether a Washington State public records law violates a right to anonymous political speech by those who signed the petition, the National Law Journal reports.
The group Protect Marriage Washington had sued to protect the names from release, saying disclosure could result in “threats, harassment and reprisal,” the New York Times reports. The referendum sought to overturn a Washington State law known as the “everything but marriage” act that expanded rights for both homesexuals and heterosexuals in domestic partnerships, the Washington Post reports. The measure was placed on the ballot but voters did not repeal the law.
The U.S. Supreme Court also cited a threat of harm last week when it barred broadcasts of a trial challenging California’s ban on gay marriage in five courthouses around the country.
