Court may reconsider ruling on I-940
Aug 29, 2018, 5:35 PM
A bill to make it easier to bring criminal charges against police officers who use deadly force in Washington is not meaningful legislation, KIRO Radio's Jason Rantz says.
The question of whether Washington state voters will have their say on a measure designed to make it easier to prosecute police officers for negligent shootings might not be over, after all.
Just one day after ruling that Initiative 940 should appear on the November ballot, the state Supreme Court is requesting briefing by the end of the day Wednesday about how the justices’ various opinions should be interpreted.
Supporters of the initiative said only a single justice, Barbara Madsen, voted that I-940 should go to voters while a compromise measure preferred by lawmakers, advocates and police groups should not. I-940’s supporters said her opinion should not control the result of what amounted to a 4-4-1 decision, and late Tuesday they asked the court to reconsider.
The court Wednesday requested that frequent initiative sponsor Tim Eyman and Republican Sen. Mike Padden, who sued over the issue, respond to the reconsideration motion by the end of the day.
Those briefings are being filed, and that means another holding pattern with the clock ticking.
The deadline for the Secretary of State to print ballots in September 1, so they’re hoping for a decision from the court before Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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