KELSO, Wash. (AP) — A Cowlitz County judge on Friday upheld most of a voter-approved initiative that requires the state to get out of the liquor business,
However, The Seattle Times reports (http://bit.ly/xTptKr ) that the judge also called for a trial to determine whether a provision for public safety funding caused voters to approve a measure they otherwise would have rejected.
The entire measure would be nullified if the court determines that voters would have rejected the initiative without it.
The Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention filed suit in December, arguing that the initiative violated a rule requiring voter initiatives to address just one subject. A similar lawsuit in King County Superior Court was put on hold in January pending the Cowlitz court decision.
