The Arkansas Supreme Court has issued a new order in the lawsuit regarding the Arkansas Abortion Amendment, setting a schedule for briefs to be filed. This order is seen as a small victory for Arkansans for Limited Government, the group behind the proposed constitutional amendment. The court plans to fully hear arguments from both sides on whether the amendment should be disqualified due to a minor paperwork error.
The group turned in over 102,000 signatures to Secretary of State John Thurston’s office by the deadline, but the petition was rejected due to a paperwork issue related to paid canvassers. The court has ordered briefs to be filed by both parties, with the attorney general required to answer the complaint by Monday.
This comes after a previous court ruling ordering Thurston to count the volunteer signatures. The court will now further explore the legal issues surrounding the case and has not ruled on the paid canvasser signatures. Thurston’s office has not yet verified the validity of the signatures and is awaiting further instructions from the court.
With the election ballots expected to be printed by August 22, the group may have a chance to collect additional signatures during a possible “cure period” if granted by the court. The legal battle continues as both sides prepare for the upcoming brief filings and further court proceedings.
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Photo credit arktimes.com