Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 23, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke’s Statement on Supreme Court’s Decision Not to Hear State’s Appeal of Blanket Primary Case

Gov. Gary Locke today issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the state’s appeal of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on the state’s blanket primary system:

“I was disappointed to learn that the Supreme Court declined to grant our petition for review. This was not unexpected, as the Supreme Court takes only a fraction of the many petitions that come before it. In declining to hear the case, the court did not rule on the merits of our arguments.

“However, it means that the Ninth Circuit opinion is the law of the land. We must now accept the ruling of the court, and take steps to enact a new primary election system that complies with both the letter and the spirit of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling. I am committed to working with legislative leaders and others to implement such a system.”

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