The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Justice Done in Oklahoma!

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After spending more than a year trying to shut down popular democracy in Oklahoma, state Attorney General Drew Edmondson has dropped his prosecution-persecution of three initiative activists, including my friend Paul Jacob. The great news is reported in the Tulsa World:

Attorney General Drew Edmondson said Thursday he has decided not to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court that struck down an Oklahoma law barring nonresidents from circulating initiative petitions.

Edmondson also said his office dismissed criminal charges against three people accused of violating Oklahoma's out-of-state petitioner ban. All three were scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Oklahoma County on Feb. 6 but Edmondson said he was awaiting the outcome of the appeals process before deciding whether to proceed.

"The statute under which these defendants were charged has been declared unconstitutional, and the appellate process is complete," Edmondson said. "The statute is no longer enforceable."

Paul Jacob of Virginia, a national leader of the term limit movement, Susan Johnson of Michigan, head of a signature-gathering company, and Rick Carpenter of Tulsa, director of Oklahomans In Action, were accused of conspiracy to defraud the state by using out-of-state circulators to collect signatures for the so-called taxpayer bill of rights in 2006.

Last month, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled the nonresident petitioner law was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment's free speech protections as well as the Fourteenth Amendment.

This is good news for the movement, since Jacob has fought for term limits, budget and tax limitations, and educational choice in the past and has much more work to do. But Edmondson's final capitulation is particularly welcome for Jacob and his family, who have been suffering in the shadow of an unjust felony indictment.

The next step is for the people of Oklahoma to give Edmondson an appropriate "reward" for his services.

View all comments (7) | Leave a comment

Alan Brooks| 1.22.09 @ 9:41PM

most important book of '90s:
'Term Limits'

Geo. F. Will

Eric Dondero| 1.22.09 @ 10:56PM

One hopes the fact that Edmonson is a Democrat, will alert some libertarians, who often take the "not a dime's worth of difference," attitude on the two major parties, to the fact that the 'D's are truly the enemies of libertarian activists.

Unfortunately Bandow himself pals around with a few of these "soft on Democrats" libertarians.

Alan Brooks| 1.22.09 @ 11:32PM

libertarians are soft on sin. dont legalize dope, porn, prostitution.
lock up drug dealers. a 10,000 percent tax on porn; a 100,000 percent tax on pimps, whores.

in my unhumble opinion.

Alan Brooks| 1.22.09 @ 11:34PM

i hate libertarians almost as much as commie rats.

john| 1.23.09 @ 2:05AM

What more is there to say about this other than the fact that Barack is freeing his people, the Muslims. It was his first order to put the terrorist back on the street, second order is to withdrawl from Middle east, and third to be sure that all middle easterns are sfe. This fool is not a christian, or an american, he is Muslim. Why is that so difficult to see. Must be blinded by his pearly whites.

J. Peter Freire| 1.23.09 @ 10:10AM

Alan,

That book was actually the first serious book I had read about political science. It was actually titled "Restoration," and I've been a partisan of term limits ever since. Only Will could make such a rock solid case. The only problem is figuring out how to accomplish it -- getting people to limit their own power is, well, difficult. Hence that old quote about whether Washington would actually leave office, and if so, he'd be the greatest man who ever lived.