Federal judge: Petition signatures are a public record

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Tacoma federal court’s decision today. What does that mean: R71 petition signatures are a public record, according to the court.

Here’s the (brief) ruling. A full opinion will be issued soon.

This court case stems from the public records request for copies of Referendum 71 petitions. One of the groups that requested the documents said they would publish the names of all the signers on a web site. That prompted the organizers behind the referendum to file a lawsuit blocking the release of names.

Over at the Secretary of State’s blog, they have this to say: “There is one more legal step the state must take before releasing the petitions to the six groups or individuals who requested the records: Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks, in a case brought by initiative activist Tim Eyman, on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order against the Secretary releasing any petitions, until he hears from the 9th Circuit.” Read the rest of the post here.

Tags: public records, R71