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Barbour Appeals Ballot Ruling

Gov. Haley Barbour and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann have agreed to comply with the state Supreme Court's interpretation of the general election ballot order.

Gov. Haley Barbour and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann have agreed to comply with the state Supreme Court's interpretation of the general election ballot order. Roy Adkins

[Verbatim from Governor] Today's ruling by the Hinds County Circuit Court is being appealed today. The official ballot recommended by the Secretary of State, which I approved, is proper and supported by state law. It was prepared using the same format that's been employed for decades. Democratic Secretary of State Eric Clark arranged the ballot in this manner and Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann arranged the ballot in the same way; I approved both of them.

Attorney General Jim Hood issued his opinion advising county election commissioners to ignore the law after the suit challenging the official ballot was filed. Mississippi law, Section 7-5-25, clearly states: "No (Attorney General's) opinion shall be given or considered if the opinion is given after suit is filed." The Attorney General's opinion is not just wrong – it's illegal.

It is disturbing but not surprising that Mississippi's chief legal officer continues to show such a brazen, partisan disregard for the law.

Previous Comments

ID
135678
Comment

Folo has a copy of Barbour's appeal, along with a pretty detailed rundown of his arguments.

Author
lwschaefer
Date
2008-09-13T11:27:39-06:00

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