Judge blocks voter-approved ethics law [View all]

A Hughes County judge on Wednesday said unconstitutional pieces of an extensive law aimed at overhauling the state's ethics policies are too intertwined to keep parts of the law in place while blocking others.

Circuit Court Judge Mark Barnett in an order said the law should be delayed from implementation until higher authorities could consider the voter-approved measure.

Opponents of the sweeping law celebrated the decision Wednesday and indicated that they would call for its gutting in the Legislature, while supporters expressed disappointment and hope that the debate would continue in the South Dakota Supreme Court.

Senate Majority Leader Blake Curd, R-Sioux Falls, was one of the legislators who brought the lawsuit against the state over the measure. He said Barnett's decision to enjoin the entire law provided an opportunity for lawmakers to repeal and replace it.

Read more: http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/21/judge-blocks-voter-approved-ethics-law/95722342/