Current Headlines

Report on Lemons v. Bradbury hearing

Tuesday, July 8

A message from Jeana Frazzini

We are just back from today’s 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hearing in Lemons v. Bradbury, the lawsuit brought by out-of-state anti-equality groups seeking to revive last year’s failed referendum on Oregon’s domestic partnership law by forcing elections officials to change the way they treat signatures on citizen petitions.

While we don’t expect a ruling for at least a few weeks, I am extremely proud of the work of our attorney, Margaret Olney, who provided critical assistance to the State’s defense of Oregon election law while standing up for the thousands of committed couples who are depending on the domestic partnership law.

Our three-judge panel seemed keenly aware of the issues at stake in the case. They questioned the plaintiffs’ demands for special treatment in the signature verification process, and their comments suggested to us that they understood how a ruling in favor of our opponents could have far-reaching consequences on election laws in many other states besides Oregon.

We believe the 9th Circuit will uphold the lower court’s opinion dismissing the case. However, if the Court decides against us and puts Oregon’s domestic partnership law on the ballot, we are confident that Oregon voters would vote YES to uphold the law in November. We already know that Oregonians refused to sign our opponents’ petitions. And we know that Oregonians believe we should all have the same right to take care of the ones we love and keep them safe.

Click here for more background on Lemons v. Bradbury, including an archive of court documents.