Citizens in Charge

The U.S. Supreme Court issued their decision on the Doe v Reed case out of Washington State earlier today. The Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Reed, which means it ruled in favor of public disclosure of petition signers. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion, with Justice Thomas writing the lone dissent. To read a pdf of the decision click here.

Citizens in Charge Foundation filed an amicus brief in the case earlier this year. We believe that the public disclosure of the names and information of citizens signing petitions will have a chilling effect on those willing to sign, as they would be opened up to potential harassment and intimidation. Unfortunately, the court did not see it this way.

For a more in depth look at the case there are a couple of videos created by Citizens in Charge Foundation for you to check out. The first video with arguments from both the Doe and Reed sides in the case you can view here. The second, in which Paul Jacob better explains the background of the case can be viewed here.