Opponents of a ballot proposal to allow eight new casinos in Michigan are celebrating. The state appeals court ruled the ballot goes against Michigan's constitution.
A group of current casino owners said the ballot question is illegal because it isn't clear what laws it would change. So the opponents challenged it in court. John Truscott is a spokesman for the group.
"The current constitution say that if you're going to make changes to an act or something in the constitution you have to identify for the voters what you're changing. They did that nowhere in the proposal."
Michigan's Court of Appeals agreed. The court said the ballot initiative would change the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act if voters passed it. But the ballot language doesn't specifically mention the act, so the court ordered the proposal not appear before voters.
Supporters say they will appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. T.J. Bucholz is a spokesman for Citizens for More Michigan Jobs, the group behind the proposal. He says the group will appeal, but wouldn't reveal on what legal grounds.
"We always have firmly believed that the way that this proposal has been written was first thought of in terms of how it directly relates to Michigan's law on the books. So that's about all I can say at this point."
American Indian tribes and current casino owners challenged the legality of the ballot proposal.
Comments
Post new comment