Federal judge rules that Minnehaha County petition policy violates First Amendment

Commission adopted new policy amid hostility between abortion groups

A federal judge has barred Minnehaha County from enforcing a new policy restricting petition gatherers to a rectangle area outside of the Minnehaha County Administration Building.

Judge Roberto Lange’s injunction also strikes down a part of the policy that required petition gatherers to check in with Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson before they could begin collecting signatures. The injunction forbids the county from enforcing those provisions while the cases remains under litigation.

The ruling is a victory for Dakotans for Health, which challenged the new policy the County Commission adopted on May 2. Dakotans for Health filed its lawsuit against the commission and Anderson.

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