Michigan Supreme Court puts abortion on the November ballot
Chief Justice Bridget McCormack in her ruling blasted Republican officials who argued spacing and formatting errors on the text canvassers presented to voters rendered the entire effort invalid.
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled 5-2 on Thursday to certify a sweeping abortion rights initiative for the November ballot, giving voters in the swing state a chance to decide whether the procedure remains legal or whether a nearly 100-year-old ban goes back into effect.
The decision means Michigan joins several other states where voters will have a say this fall on whether and to what extent abortion is legal post-Roe v. Wade — with votes also scheduled in California, Vermont, Kentucky and Montana. Along with a slew of pending court cases and state legislative battles, these November ballot initiatives could remake the country’s abortion access map at a time when the number of states implementing near-total bans is climbing.
The Michigan Supreme Court’s emergency ruling overrides last week’s party-line tie vote by the Board of State Canvassers, which blocked the certification of the proposed constitutional amendment. The two Republicans on that panel sided with conservative groups that argued spacing and formatting errors on the text canvassers presented to voters rendered the entire effort invalid.
The Michigan Supreme Court’s emergency ruling overrides last week’s party-line tie vote by the Board of State Canvassers, which blocked the certification of the proposed constitutional amendment. The two Republicans on that panel sided with conservative groups that argued spacing and formatting errors on the text canvassers presented to voters rendered the entire effort invalid.
Chief Justice Bridget McCormack blasted those officials for that decision, writing in her ruling Thursday: “Seven hundred fifty three thousand and seven hundred fifty nine Michiganders signed this proposal—more than have ever signed any proposal in Michigan’s history. The challengers have not produced a single signer who claims to have been confused by the limited-spacing sections in the full text portion of the proposal. Yet two members of the Board of State Canvassers would prevent the people of Michigan from voting on the proposal.”
McCormack added that using spacing errors to justify keeping the measure off the ballot is “a game of gotcha gone very bad” and commented: “What a sad marker of the times.”
more:
http://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/08/michigan-supreme-court-puts-abortion-on-november-ballot-00055774
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