Doe v. Reed and the Role of Anonymity in a Democracy
Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group
In April 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Doe v. Reed. The Court is expected to decided whether petition signatures should be disclosed to public parties under Washington State's Public Records Act. Do people that sign political petitions to place measures on the ballot have a right to privacy, association, belief or speech that would prevent disclosure of their names and perhaps other personal information? What level of scrutiny should the Court use in examining the question? Does the public have a right (perhaps to police authenticity, to study patterns of support, or from mere curiosity) to know who signed particular petitions? These and other questions are addressed by our experts.
Featuring:
- Mr. John C. Fortier, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
- Mr. Robert Frommer, Staff Attorney, Institute for Justice
- Moderator: Ms. Allison Hayward, Constitutional and election law expert in Washington DC, and Chair of the Federalist Society's Free Speech and Election Law Practice Group
John Fortier is the principal contributor to the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project and executive director of the Continuity of Government Commission. A political scientist who has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Delaware, Boston College, and Harvard University, Mr. Fortier has written numerous scholarly and popular articles. His books include Second-Term Blues: How George W. Bush Has Governed (Brookings Institution Press, 2007); Absentee and Early Voting: Trends, Promises, and Perils (AEI Press, 2006); and After the People Vote: A Guide to the Electoral College (AEI Press, 2004). Mr. Fortier writes a column for Politico and is a frequent radio and television commentator on the presidency, Congress, and elections.
