In what is probably the most upsetting decision to date, the George Bush appointee, Judge Benjamin Settle has decided, for now, that the names on the Ref. 71 petition are protected political speech and should remain anonymous.
The article is here.
Settle’s opinion rests largely on the ideas that releasing petition signatures carries no public benefit, and that signing petitions, like the right to free speech, may be done anonymously.
More discussion is here.
While the decision is a preliminary injunction, who knows when and if he will finally issue a decision so the Secretary of State can just appeal it already.
Update: SLOG reports that Washington State Attorney General Republican Rob McKenna will appeal the decision. Well he had better. This issue of cloaking petition signatures goes far beyond any opinion he may have about the gays.
