Politics

Massachusetts Attorney General faces federal lawsuit over harassment of signature collectors

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Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is facing a federal lawsuit over her office’s silence on the alleged harassment of petition workers collecting signatures to overturn a measure granting drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants.

MassGOP filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Boston, claiming leftist groups harassed volunteers who were collecting signatures in support of putting a question on the ballot that would overturn the June measure that would allow residents without legal citizenship paperwork to obtain a driver’s license in the state beginning July of 2023. MassGOP’s lawsuit alleges signature collectors were harassed and prevented from carrying out their jobs on at least a dozen occasions.

The suit states “both the Massachusetts Constitution and the Federal Constitution protect the right to gather signatures in support of candidates or ballot questions,” and accuses the Attorney General, among other elected Democrats in the state, of staying silent on the matter. Healey’s office has declined to comment.

“Federal courts and the Federal government do not normally intervene in state law enforcement,” said MassGOP chair Jim Lyons. “However, the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. s.1986, provides a special duty upon state law enforcement to protect the federal rights of voters from interference by organized private conspiracies.”

Lyons continued, “We thank the thoughtful local police who have declined to give these disruptive influences a heckler’s veto over our signature collection effort. However, Attorney General Maura Healey has been publicly pleaded to undertake to protect civil rights and she has been suspiciously silent.”

Other elected Democrats named in the lawsuit include Acton state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and Waltham City Councilor Jonathan Paz.

ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: BANGOR DAILY NEWS

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Laura Spivak

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

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