State Supreme Court Hears Arguments Thursday Over Ballot Proposals

Other episodes in this series: 
IPR News Features
Date: 
August 29, 2012
Courtesy photo of the Michigan Supreme Court by Doug Elbinger.

By Rick Pluta

The Michigan Supreme Court will hold a hearing Thursday on whether four questions should appear on the statewide November ballot. The court’s expected to rule very quickly to meet election deadlines.

The proposals would guarantee collective bargaining rights in the state constitution, allow more casinos in Michigan, require super-majorities before the Legislature can increase taxes, and demand voter approval before the state could build a new international bridge to Canada.

Some of the campaigns, the ones blocked from the ballot, want to see some changes in how elections decisions are made. They say a state elections board should not make determinations on whether proposals meet the requirements of the Michigan Constitution, that’s up to the courts.

They say campaigns that gather enough petition signatures should be approved.

One of the campaigns also says it’s too easy for a question to get bogged down because it takes a vote from both a Republican and a Democrat on the board to get on the ballot.

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Upcoming MI Supreme Court Decisions

We all have to pick our battles. Unions should never be able to control the lives of an entire state. People can join unions if they want. If unions badly perform they should be abolished; but no entire state of residents should be forced to live under their thumb.

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