Friday, June 25, 2010

No shield for anti-gay petition signers, Supreme Court rules

The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday said the names on a statewide petition in Washington that sought to overturn a gay-rights law could be made public, dealing a blow to anti-gay groups that believe the move will chill political activity. Writing for the majority in an 8-1 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts argued, "Public disclosure ... promotes transparency and accountability in the electoral process to an extent other measures cannot."