State Official Asks O’Connor to Reinstate Term Limits Law

A California official made an emergency request of a Supreme Court justice Wednesday to reinstate the state’s term limits law, calling his plea a states’ rights issue and defense of the initiative process.

In a court document filed by his attorneys, Secretary of State Bill Jones told Justice Sandra Day O’Connor--who handles emergency matters from California for the high court--that the state’s 1998 legislative elections are threatened with “chaos and confusion” because of the legal fight over term limits.

California law requires all state legislative candidates to file declarations of intention to run in the next primaries by Feb. 4.

Without a stay, which would keep term limits in effect until there is a final ruling, Jones said, he faces conflicting orders from federal and state courts over whether to accept or reject declarations of candidacy from 87 current and past legislators who would be subject to term limits next year.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the term limits law this month, but delayed its decision from taking effect until next Tuesday. The full 9th Circuit Court is considering whether to review the panel ruling.