Concerned Women for America - Concerned Women for America Files Supreme Court Brief To Protect Privacy of Petition Signers

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Concerned Women for America Files Supreme Court Brief To Protect Privacy of Petition Signers 3/5/2010

Washington, D.C. — Concerned Women for America (CWA) filed an Amicus Curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court today in support of Protect Marriage Washington in its case currently pending before the Court, Doe #1, Doe #2 and Protect Marriage Washington v. Reed et al. Concerned Women for America’s Washington state group assisted Protect Marriage Washington in collecting signatures for the Referendum 71 petition, the subject of the Supreme Court case.

Penny Nance, CEO for Concerned Women for America, said, “CWA seeks to protect the individuals who signed the petition from having their support of Referendum 71, their personal information, and the address of their family’s home globally publicized on the Internet by groups with a history of harassment and intimidation against those opposed to the homosexual viewpoint.”

Maureen Richardson, State Director for CWA of Washington, said, “Privacy is a big issue. The people’s right to ‘exercise the legislative power’ through referenda and initiatives will be severely hampered by publicizing names through Internet listings, etc. In a perfect world where others do not wish us harm, public disclosure of citizens’ personal information made available on a referendum or initiative might be acceptable, but in a world where advocates are threatened as I have been, making it easier for predators to access their victims is not necessarily in the public interest and certainly not in the victim’s.”

Sharon F. Blakeney, an allied attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund and counsel for Concerned Women for America in filing their Amicus Brief, stated, “If the names and personal information of the voters who signed the R-71 petition are released and published on the Internet, they will be subjected to torment and intimidation by homosexual activists from all corners of the globe. Signing the R-71 petition was essentially casting a vote on the ultimate issue, and the signatures, home addresses, and all other personal information on the petition should be treated with the Constitutional protections and confidentiality of a secret ballot.”

The Doe #1, Doe #2 and Protect Marriage Washington v. Reed et al., case is scheduled for oral argument before the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 28, 2010.