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Arkansas AG Rejects Wording Of Ballot Measure On Immunity

Leslie Rutledge Attorney General
Talk Business & Politics

Arkansas' attorney general has rejected the wording of a ballot measure that, if passed, would have allowed the Legislature to scale back the state's immunity from lawsuits.

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Tuesday rejected the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the Legislature to waive the state's sovereign immunity. She cited ambiguities in the measure. Rutledge must approve the proposal's wording before supporters can gather the nearly 85,000 signatures from registered voters needed to put it on the November ballot.

The proposal is aimed at reversing a state Supreme Court ruling last month that critics say gives state agencies blanket protections from any legal challenges.

Alex Gray, the attorney who submitted the measure, said it will be revised to address Rutledge's concerns and submitted again in the next couple weeks.

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