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Pa. Supreme Court rejects Gov. Wolf's petition to stop abortion amendment from moving forward
Subhead: Monday’s ruling now clears the way for the Legislature to put five ballot questions before voters as early as next year.
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2022/09/12/pa-abortion-amendment-pennsylvania-supreme-court-wolf-petition-kings-bench-constitutional-amendments/stories/202209120112
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will not take up Gov. Tom Wolf’s request to decide whether a package of five constitutional amendments can go before voters as early as May 2023.
The court on Monday denied Mr. Wolf’s petition, in which he asked that it use its extraordinary and rarely used “King’s Bench” power to skip litigating the case in the state’s lower courts and expedite review of the case. The court did not offer any explanation in its ruling. When asked for further comment, a spokeswoman for the court said the order speaks for itself.
Monday’s ruling now clears the way for the Legislature to put the five ballot questions before voters as early as next year to decide whether voters should be required to present government identification before casting a ballot or declaring no person has a right to an abortion within the state of Pennsylvania, pending any lower court action.
- snip -
In Pennsylvania, the governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment. GOP leaders have tried to circumvent Mr. Wolf’s veto pen by using the constitutional amendment process, as Mr. Wolf has increased the frequency at which he’s used it. Mr. Wolf vetoed at least 61 bills — three of which that would have restricted abortion — since he took office in 2015.
Mr. Wolf, in his July petition filed with Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman, argued that the proposed amendment to declare there is no right to an abortion in the state would violate the state’s constitutional right to privacy. He also argued that the way these amendments were advanced — five constitutional amendments that were all placed into the same legislative resolution — is unconstitutional, because there was no opportunity for them to be voted on separately by legislators.
The court on Monday denied Mr. Wolf’s petition, in which he asked that it use its extraordinary and rarely used “King’s Bench” power to skip litigating the case in the state’s lower courts and expedite review of the case. The court did not offer any explanation in its ruling. When asked for further comment, a spokeswoman for the court said the order speaks for itself.
Monday’s ruling now clears the way for the Legislature to put the five ballot questions before voters as early as next year to decide whether voters should be required to present government identification before casting a ballot or declaring no person has a right to an abortion within the state of Pennsylvania, pending any lower court action.
- snip -
In Pennsylvania, the governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment. GOP leaders have tried to circumvent Mr. Wolf’s veto pen by using the constitutional amendment process, as Mr. Wolf has increased the frequency at which he’s used it. Mr. Wolf vetoed at least 61 bills — three of which that would have restricted abortion — since he took office in 2015.
Mr. Wolf, in his July petition filed with Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman, argued that the proposed amendment to declare there is no right to an abortion in the state would violate the state’s constitutional right to privacy. He also argued that the way these amendments were advanced — five constitutional amendments that were all placed into the same legislative resolution — is unconstitutional, because there was no opportunity for them to be voted on separately by legislators.
- more at link -
Unfortunately Gov. Wolf is running out of time. His term expires at the end of December. So it's essential that Josh Shapiro be elected in November to take over and continue fighting the good fight that Gov. Wolf has started.
3 replies
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But you never know ... a lot of new voter registrations coming in this summer.
Might make a difference in state and county elections.
