R-71 court decision, new poll

Wanted to make two things available.

Attached is a PDF of King County Judge Julie Spector's decision. In it she rejects blocking Referendum 71 from the ballot but insists the state counted many signatures as valid that did not appear to be valid.

Also today, the Washington Poll issued a report on public attitudes toward domestic partnerships in Washington.

It found 66 percent of those surveyed endorse same-sex domestic partnerships, up from 59 percent in 2006. The group will poll again in October specifically on R-71.

Here's the bottom line from the report's conclusion:

The debate over the legal recognition of same sex couples will no doubt remain controversial for some time in Washington State. Despite this, granting lesbian and gay couples the rights of marriage in their entirety in the form of domestic partnerships is a position supported by a majority of Washingtonians.

This support is widespread across demographic groups, and is a majority position for those in the political middle. While some demographic groups, including conservatives and Republicans, are far from having majorities that support full domestic partnerships, most other demographic groups are evenly split or have strong majorities that support them.

Further, our data reveal that support for same‐sex partnership rights has grown each year, suggesting an increasing tolerance in Washington State.