QUESTION FOR VERMONT ATTORNEYS:
DOES P = R, AND IF SO, DOES G NOT = G?

HUH?

YEAH, WELL, YOU TRY TO UNDERSTAND A U.S. SUPREME COURT LANDMARK DECISION ON GAY RIGHTS!

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/09-599.pdf

Although "Doe v. Reed", Docket # 09-559 is a landmark decision case, there were only about 19 reports in the news before the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its Opinion a few days ago, and right afterwards there were only 26 news reports in Google news search.

Wow, that is some coverage for a landmark case!

What happened?

The Question before the U.S. Supreme Court was whether or not to disclose the names and signatures of people who sign referendum petitions.

O.K., how does that affect Vermont?

Well, what is a "referendum" in Vermont?

More specifically, here is my question, and I am seeking pro bono help with this idea:

I filed my ballot access Petition signatures with the Vermont Secretary of State May 17, 2010 and I am on the ballot for two offices.

I am not a member of any political party, but I appear on the ballot for the United States Marijuana Party
because Vermont law
allows an Independent candidate
to chose descriptive words
to appear on the ballot
rather than "independent".

Every single page of the ballot access petitions I submitted for certification contain the descriptive words,
"United States Marijuana party".

IS THIS A REFERENDUM, OR LEGALLY AS EQUAL TO OR ACTING AS A REFERENDUM, to essentially create the appearance of a new political party in Vermont?

IF this is a Referendum Petition, THEN do the people who signed it lose their right to privacy?

Can I file an "as-applied challenge"?

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts allegedly stated, "Upholding the law against a broad-based challenge does not foreclose a litigant's success in a narrower one."

Where do I get a "narrower" challenge?

In the case, Doe v. Reed, if I understand it, a Gay group filed the case against a conservative marriage group. The conservative marriage group wanted to stop the Gay people from getting married in the State of Washington. Because this is a Supreme Court of the United States case, the Opinion becomes law of the land in every state, including Vermont.

Now, the Gay group filed this case because they wanted to know the names of the conservative marriage group who had filed a petition with the Washington State Secretary of State because they wanted to strike down the Gay marriage law.

The conservative marriage group had enough petition signatures to get their Petition on the Ballot, but they lost, they did not have enough votes to over turn and strike down, (repeal, get rid of) the Gay marriage law.

Now, the Gays in the State of Washington want to know the names and they want to see the signatures of the conservative marriage people who signed the Petition.

Why do the Gays even care, since they won the vote?

I don't know!

What I am concerned about with my petition, again, is the Question #1 Is my particular petition a Referendum? and #2 Will the Secretary of State, Deborah Markowitz, who is also running against me for Governor, be selling or distributing copies of my petition to the F.B.I. or D.E.A. or any corporation or non-profit or group?

Because some of the people who signed my United States Marijuana Party petition
are Gay,
and because I want to protect their
rights to privacy,
and because in particular one Gay
person told me his lover was in a hospice, so he really, really needs his right to privacy,
and he signed my petition because
MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS STILL ILLEGAL UNDER FEDERAL LAW, AND
FEDERALLY SUBSIDIZED NURSING HOMES AND FEDERALLY SUBSIDIZED HOSPICES IN VERMONT DO NOT ALL ALLOW MEDICAL MARIJUANA TO BE USED ON THEIR PREMISES;
therefore,
under the Supreme Court of the United States conditions that IF a person has
a "narrow" challenge to the law,
should an attorney in Vermont provide me with Pro Bono help to file an "as-applied challenge" to Doe v. Reed Docket # 09-559
http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/09-599.pdf
in order to protect
Gays in Vermont?

Do you see the problem I am struggling with here? Gays in the State of Washington want Petitions to be made public so they can see the names of the people who signed and see their signatures; whereas here in Vermont, I believe Gays want privacy. I believe that Vermonters think that when they sign a Petition that it is like a Secret Ballot in a Voting Booth.

Cris Ericson
879 Church Street
Chester, Vermont 05143
(802)875-4038
http://crisericson.com
http://USMJP.COM

Vermont Secretary of State
http://www.sec.state.vt.us
click on Elections
click on Candidate List for
Independent candidates,
Cris Ericson, United States Marijuana Party is listed with the Independents.