Monday, May 08, 2006

Anti-Gambling Group Files Suit to Stop Casino

(Little Rock) – The leader of an Arkansas group spearheading a legal challenge that seeks to strike down a state law that expands gambling in Hot Springs and West Memphis, said today they are prepared to take their case to the State Supreme Court if necessary.

Jerry Cox, director of the Family Council Action Committee, said in response to this week's lower court decision to overrule their case in Hot Springs, that his resolve is strengthened and he looks forward to seeing this case through to the end.

“I’ve said from the beginning that we’ll take this case as far as we need in our effort to see justice done,” Cox said. “We lost in Hot Springs. If we win in West Memphis, then we have no need to appeal. If we lose in West Memphis, then we will most certainly appeal. Before the lawsuit was filed, we knew we had to prepare for a fight all the way to the State Supreme Court, and believe me, we’re ready for it.”

“We knew this would not be easy,” Cox said, “but when justice is at stake, it doesn’t matter how difficult the work is. The cause is worth it. It is still very much our contention that the Legislature should never have given two private businesses, Oaklawn and Southland racetracks, the authority to call for local elections on the expansion of gambling and determine who would be allowed to vote in that election. That’s wrong on every level.”

“Because of ACT 1151, the law we seek to strike down as unconstitutional, an Indian tribe is poised to build a casino in Fort Smith without any consent of the local people or government. Because of ACT 1151, casino style gambling will be coming to Hot Springs and West Memphis, without any consent of the people who live outside those city limits. It’s an egregious injustice that the will of Oaklawn and Southland is being forced on every citizen outside the city limits of Hot Springs and West Memphis. They have had no voice in something absolutely critical to them. That’s who we’re fighting for, and this fight is far from over.”

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Try to get rid of property tax, and the courts won't even let the measure go up for a vote. But if you want to sneak gambling into Arkansas, you can ignore entire sections of our state's constitution.

10:16 AM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Time to send a message to our state courts. Vote Harrod and Danielson.

10:25 AM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What I want to know is who voted for the stupid bill in the first place?

11:24 AM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Yeas" in the Senate:
Bisbee
Bookout
Broadway
Brown
Bryles
Critcher
Faris
Higginbothom (Sponsored bill)
Horn
B. Johnson (Sponsored bill)
Laverty
Luker
Madison
Salmon
T. Smith (Sponsored bill)
Steele
Whitaker (Sponsored bill)
Wilkins
Wilkinson
Not voting [Senate]:
Baker
Hill
Malone
Miller

"Yeas" in the House:
Adcock
Berry
Blair
Blount
Bolin
Bond
Borhauer
Bradford
Bright
Chesterfield
Childers (Sponsored bill)
Clemons
Cooper
Cowling (Sponsored bill)
Dangeau
Davenport
Davis (Sponosred bill)
Dobbins
Dunn
Edwards
Elliott
L. Evans
Everett
Flowers (Sponsored bill)
Goss
Hardwick
Hardy
Harrelson
J. Hutchinson
D. Johnson
J. Johnson
Kidd
Ledbetter
Lewellen
Mathis (Sponsored bill)
McDaniel
Nichols
Ormond
Petrus
Pritchard
Rainey
Rankin
Reep
Roebuck
Sample
Saunders (Sponsored bill)
Scroggin
L. Smith
Mr. Speaker (Bill Stovall)
Sumpter
Thyer
Verkamp
Walters
Wells
Willis
Wills
Wyatt
Not voting [House]:
Cook
Jackson (Sponsored bill)
Overbey
Pate
Sullivan

11:57 AM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Weird- Jackson sponsors the bill, but doesn't vote?

Which of these are up for re-election or are seeking higher office?

12:08 PM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pritchard is trying to switch over to senate, but Duggar will most likely beat him.

1:38 PM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Did you see the Sunday Dem-Gaz primary picks? They picked (recent Democrat) McFetridge and Pritchard! Proof, in my opinion, that conservatives should choose the opposite of what the paper spoon feeds us.

3:51 PM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, the Dem-Gaz's endorsement should at least be considered a negative to some degree, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that we should pick the opposite.

3:54 PM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go Jerry Go!!

4:07 PM, May 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The sad part about the passage of the gambling bill in the House is that there was almost no debate. Only one member spoke against it.

Don't know about the Senate.

12:16 AM, May 09, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Notice the quote that is now at the top of nupe's blog:

The Cephus Richard Fan Club blog is not authorized by or made with arrangement, cooperation, or consultation with any candidate, and is not made in concert with, or at the request or suggestion of any candidate or any authorized committee or agent of the candidate.

Slimesley Smith is at the bottom of this blog, you can bet on that.

Liberal, racist, and no class!

7:45 PM, May 09, 2006  

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