Colorado Supreme Court Rules on Save Colorado Now Ballot Title

News release, May 10, 2004

For Immediate Release
May 10, 2004
Contact: William G. Herron
www.SaveColoradoNow.org

Evergreen, CO: The Colorado Supreme Court ruling which approved the Save Colorado Now (SCN) initiative's Ballot Title was welcomed by volunteers and proponents. The initiative calls for a Colorado Constitutional Amendment which requires "restricting the provision of non-emergency services by the State and local governments to United States citizens and aliens lawfully in the United States." The pro-citizen, pro-legal immigrant initiative would preclude most of the estimated 200,000 to 250,000 illegal aliens currently in Colorado from gaining access to such services.

The protracted and expensive challenge in the Supreme Court was initiated by a well-funded, pro-illegal alien group that opposed the SCN efforts. That group had also been unsuccessful in its earlier attempt to convince the Initiative Title Setting Review Board, in a rehearing, to withdraw its initial approval of the SCN initiative Ballot Title. The Supreme Court ruling came almost two months after Dr. William G. Herron, chairman of the SCN issue committee, presented the initiative language before the three-member Title Board and received approval by a 3-0 vote, March 3, 2004.

The successful legal maneuvering by the opposition has delayed SCN initiative signature gathering for over two months and this coupled with a late initial start makes the collection of 68,000 valid signatures with only Colorado volunteers by August 2, 2004, a real challenge.

"Nothing the opposition group has done to date was unforeseen. Their maneuvering to stall our effort, however, has unexpectedly provided very valuable organizing and training experience for everyone with SCN," said Herron. "We have been energized to make illegal immigration a major political issue in Colorado. In this election year, it is time for all our elected officials and candidates to make it clear where they stand on this issue."