In a surprise ruling of 8 -1 The Supreme Court has ruled that Protect Marriage Washington, which organized the signature drive to get Ref 71 on the ballot Washington State’s residents who lent their names to put Referendum 71 on the ballot, which let voters choose to uphold the state’s “everything but marriage” law, must let their identities be know. Disclosing them does not violate the 138,000 petitioners’ First Amendment rights, the justices ruled, updating their decision to stay the Ninth Circuit’s ruling to make the names public. (Only Clarence Thomas voted to keep the names secret. He says a citizen’s privacy rights trump transparency in politics and was probably trying to find the cheapest way to just side with anti – gay Protect Marriage on this.)

The consequences of the ruling; it “could have far-reaching impacts, not just on the state’s initiative and referendum process, but also for other “open government” laws like the disclosure of who contributes to political campaigns, and how much they give and knocks down the silly and irresponsible arguments from opponents of gay marriage, who say democracy should happen in secret. No longer will these individuals be able to deny rights to Americans without being held publicly accountable

The National Organization For Marriage and the Mormon Church must be terriffied. (GOOD!)

This is a good day.