FRANKFORT,Ky - Marsy’s Law for Kentucky is asking the high court to reconsider their ruling.
In June, the Kentucky Supreme Court sided with a Franklin Circuit Court that the wording of the question was unconstitutional because it did not give voters a full picture of what the law would do.
The organization filed the petition Tuesday, asking the court to allow them to submit briefs and to conduct oral arguments on the decision that the full text of a proposed constitutional amendment must appear on the ballot. The petition requests the 2018 Marsy’s Law ballot question be placed on the 2020 ballot with the full text of the proposed amendment available to voters at each precinct.
“Unfortunately, the Kentucky Supreme Court overturned the popular constitutional amendment, not on its merits, but in a decision invalidating long-standing Kentucky law that allows the ballot question to state the “substance” of the amendment,” a statement from Marsy’s Law for Kentucky said. “The court declared the ballot question statute unconstitutional, and overruled its own precedent, without the parties having argued those issues to the court.”
The petition argues the ruling from the high court can create uncertainty in the process by which lawmakers and citizens can amend the Kentucky Constitution.
In the opinion, Chief Justice John Minton said the full text of the amendment needed to be on the ballot, something that hasn’t been previously required.
The referendum known as Marsy’s Law appeared on the November ballot, passing with 63 percent of the vote.