As I posted earlier on this blog, Missouri Citizens for Property Rights are trying to get two new constitutional amendments passed that would more strictly limit eminent domain in Missouri. Last month, a judge ruled that the submitted ballot summary was ruled inadequate, and both the secretary of state and the Missouri Municipal League have appealed this week.

Missouri Citizens for Property Rights was happy with the original ruling, which only made a minor change to a single bullet point. These new appeals, however, will serve delay the signature-gathering process still further. From a press release issued by the group:

“News of the appeal by the Municipal League is no surprise, but it’s incredible to think that the Secretary of State would further muddy the water with an appeal of her own.”, said Ron Calzone, chairman of MO-CPR. “They successfully defended all but a minor detail of the ballot title she wrote, so why not accept the judge’s decision and let the people exercise their constitutional right to the initiative process?”

Depending on how long the appeals process lasts, it could delay approval of the final ballot summary until it is too late for proponents to undertake an effective petition campaign. Hopefully, these legal setbacks will be quickly settled.