Free Republic

A judge in Washington State ruled that 138,500 residents who signed a petition protesting a recent move to give gay couples the same rights as married couples will not have their names released on the internet as requested by a pro-gay lobbying group. The group, Whosigned.org, sought to release the signatures to “make this public record signature information accessible and searchable on the internet,” and to “provide Washington State Voters with a way of reporting when their signature has been recorded either fraudulently or in error.” But James Bopp, Jr. the attorney for the plaintiffs that sought the injunction against...

Wash. Gay Partnership Foes Turn in Signatures OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Sponsors of a campaign to overturn Washington state's domestic partnership law turned in their petition signatures Saturday and said they believe they have enough to force a public vote. The expanded "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law was scheduled to take effect Sunday, but is now delayed until the signatures can be counted, a process that could take up to a month. To qualify for the November ballot, supporters of Referendum 71 must have 120,577 voter signatures. Supporters say they have about 138,000 signatures. "I feel our signatures are pretty...