https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/12/pa-court-rules-against-marsys-law-amendment-that-garnered-voter-support.htmlHARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Tuesday hammered a final nail into the coffin of a proposed victims’ rights constitutional amendment that has never gone into effect, even though state voters supported it by a large margin in a referendum more than two years ago.
The justices ruled 6-1 that the sprawling proposal violated the Pennsylvania Constitution’s requirement that amendments address a single topic to prevent lawmakers from bundling together items that might not pass on their individual merits.
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Jennifer Riley, state director of the national organization advocating for “Marsy’s Law” victims’ rights legislation, said the decision disenfranchises the voters who approved it. The decision was disappointing and the opinion is under review, Riley said.
Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, which represented the voter and state chapter of the League of Women Voters that successfully challenged the referendum, said the Legislature had tried to mislead voters.
“The Legislature attempted to do too much at once, which is prohibited to keep voters from being overwhelmed,” Shuford said. “We are grateful that the court ruled the right way on this important principle.”
The amendment passed 74%-26% back in 2019, so I imagine that this ruling will face quite a bit of backlash despite upholding state law. Any thoughts on the ruling and what might happen next?
