Temporary restraining order against Lawrence County commissioners ends soon

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Abortion has long been a key political talking point, and after the U.S. Supreme Court opened the doors for states to push mandates on the topic, a number of organizations, including Dakotans for Health, opted to get the issue on local ballots.

Their petition drive has now led to a lawsuit between Dakotans for Health and Lawrence County, after Lawrence County commissioners refused to let the group solicit signatures in front of the administration building.

It started when Dakotans for Health began petitioning for signatures, for a ballot initiative that would allow voters to potentially overturn state lawmakers’ decision to ban abortion in almost all cases.

However, Lawrence County commissioners had adopted a policy stating that petitioners would not be allowed collect signatures in front of the county’s administration building, forcing Dakotans for Health file a lawsuit. A judge largely sided with the advocacy group, issuing a temporary restraining order against the county.

Dakotans for Health says the property in front of the building is public, and the ban goes against the first amendment right to solicit signatures in public places.

” The defendants who are the county of Lawrence have agreed to continue to respect the temporary restraining order. Which in essence is their acknowledgement that we do have a right to conduct first amendment soliciting signatures on the public sidewalks in front of the administration building,” said Jim Leach, an attorney representing Dakotans for Health.

The temporary restraining order ends July 20th, but Lawrence County has agreed to continue respecting the order after its end date.

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