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Wirzburger v. Galvin
Wirzburger v. Galvin is a federal lawsuit filed on March 3, 1998 by Michael Wirzburger against William Galvin, the Massachusetts Secretary of State in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
The basic assertion in the lawsuit was that the two provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution that impose subject-matter restrictions on the initiative process in Massachusetts are unconstitutional because they infringe on the rights of the plaintiffs on free speech, free exercise and equal protection grounds.
The district court ruled against the plaintiffs and they appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, which also ruled against them. An appeal by attorneys for the Becket Fund to have the case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court was denied.
See also: Initiative & Referendum Institute v. Herbert.