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Future of ballot-signature law unclear following Nessel opinion

LANSING, MI (MPRN)--   The future of a ballot-signature law passed last year is unclear. 

Wednesday Attorney General Dana Nessel said that parts of the law that add requirements to the ballot signature process are unconstitutional. Now Republican lawmakers - and others - are working on their next steps.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey says he’s waiting to see if Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson actually follows through on the order before deciding what to do.

But the Republican Representative who spearheaded the bill – Jim Lower – would like to get clarification right away. He says he wants the Speaker of the House to look into a court challenge.

“You know I’d like to see it, you know if there’s a legal effort put forward, it’d be nice to have that settled sooner rather than later,” he says.

A group also filed a lawsuit in the Court of Claims saying the law is unconstitutional. They want a court to permanently prevent the Secretary of State’s office from using the law.

Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County. Eventually, Cheyna took her investigative and interview skills and moved on to journalism. She got her masters at Michigan State University and was a documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and freelance writer before finding her home with NPR. Very soon after joining MPRN, Cheyna started covering the 2016 presidential election, chasing after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and all their surrogates as they duked it out for Michigan. Cheyna also focuses on the Legislature and criminal justice issues for MPRN. Cheyna is obsessively curious, a passionate storyteller, and an occasional backpacker. Follow her on Twitter at @Cheyna_R
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