The Michigan Supreme Court agreed last week to hear a simmering dispute over a ballot referendum to overturn the state’s emergency manager law. The court set a date of July 25 for the hearing.
The court made the decision after the Michigan Court of Appeals in mid-June ruled that the petitions could go on the ballot.
That ruling overturned the State Board of Canvassers’ earlier rejection of the petitions, after the board agreed with opponents that the font on the petitions’ headlines was too small.
If the petitions are certified, it would automatically suspend the state’s controversial emergency management law, Public Act 4, until the November election.
The court agreed to hear the case to judge whether the petition gatherers “actually complied with the 14-point type requirement” in the law, and “if not, whether substantial compliance … is sufficient,” according to local news reports.
