Ballot Measure Lawsuits Face Uphill Fight in Arkansas (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)

LITTLE ROCK - A pair of lawsuits against a so-called tort reform proposal and others against the effort to legalize medical marijuana means Arkansas' ballot initiative campaigns will begin in a familiar place: the courtroom. But, if history is any guide, it'll be an uphill fight for opponents of those initiatives and others on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. A proposed constitutional amendment to limit damages awarded in medical lawsuits faced two challenges before the Arkansas Supreme Court from groups who say the measure's wording and petitions don't meet the mark. One of two competing medical marijuana plans also faces a pair of challenges, including one from a coalition of the state's most powerful lobbying groups that includes the state Chamber of Commerce and the Arkansas Farm Bureau. With another medical pot proposal and a casino legalization measure certified last week, it's likely that all four voter-referred initiatives will be fending off challenges before the state's high court in due time. The groups challenging these proposals are wagering that the state Supreme Court will reverse a recent trend of rejected attempts to block ballot measures. With a handful of exceptions, justices in recent years have appeared reluctant to second-guess the attorney general's decision to certify ballot titles or election officials' approval of signatures submitted for them. The state Supreme Court two years ago rejected efforts to block two measures, one that would g...
Source: Arkansas Business - Health Care - Category: American Health Source Type: news