AGO News Releases With Topic: US Supreme Court

 McKenna will hold short telephonic media availability OLYMPIA — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will make its second argument before a US District Court judge this week as it continues to fend off constitutional challenges to the nation’s new health care law.

OLYMPIA – Elected officials from 20 states challenging portions of the federal health care bill today filed a response to the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss their lawsuit, on the heels of a decision earlier this week by a Virginia judge to reject the federal government’s motion to dismiss that state’s health care lawsuit.

Health care is an intensely personal issue, whether you have excellent health insurance coverage or whether you risk surviving without it. Predictably, the complex new federal health care reform stirs strong passions from both those who support the measure and those who oppose it — regardless of whether they've read the 2,400 page measure.

In an 8-1 decision today, the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Washington’s voter-approved public records law, retaining the public’s ability to obtain copies of petitions signed in favor of placing initiatives and referenda on the ballot. Attorney General Rob McKenna personally argued the case on behalf of the state.

 Doe v. Reed briefs celebrated; McKenna’s chief deputy receives Marvin Award SEATTLE – Four members of Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office have received prestigious national awards for their public service. The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) held its summer meeting in Seattle this week. On Wednesday, officials presented awards to members of McKenna’s Solicitor General’s Office and to his chief deputy.

 Seven states, National Federation of Independent Businesses added as plaintiffs SEATTLE – Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna today joined Florida and 18 other states in filing an amended complaint in the lawsuit challenging the federal health care reform act.   The amended complaint now features a total of 20 state plaintiffs and two individual plaintiffs. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has also joined the lawsuit on behalf of its members nationwide.

 State government’s chief lawyer says court loss would invite ballot fraud WASHINGTON, DC – Laws granting access to government records are constitutional, and the public’s right to double-check election officials and signature gatherers should be upheld.

Secretary of State Sam Reed will join Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna in Washington, DC, at the end of the month as McKenna argues his third US Supreme Court case, defending the constitutionality of Washington’s voter-approved public records law.

OLYMPIA–Attorney General Rob McKenna today issued the following statement on the US Supreme Court’s decision to hear Doe v. Reed, a case involving the release of Referendum 71 petitions containing the names and addresses of those who signed the measure. “This case involves a direct attack on public disclosure and transparency in elections. It affects not only all Washington state initiatives and referenda but also has major ramifications for every state with an initiative and referenda process and similar laws regarding public disclosure.

OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today made the following statement on Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham’s ruling in Stenson v. Vail, rejecting claims challenging the constitutionality of the Department of Corrections’ protocol for execution by lethal injection.  The case impacts the pending executions of not just Darold Stenson, but two other Washington state death row inmates who joined the case, Cal Coburn Brown and Jonathan Gentry.