Circuit Court Judge to Rule Quickly on Lawsuit Against State over Timing of Gas Tax Referendum

Marion County Judge to rule this week on Oregon gas tax vote change

A Marion County judge will decide this week whether to block state lawmakers from changing the date of a vote on tax and fee increases — a move opponents say is a heavy-handed attempt to alter the will of voters. But as he heard arguments Tuesday, Marion County Senior Judge David Leith acknowledged a higher court would almost certainly have the final say on appeal.“I understand I’m not the last word here,” Leith said at the tail end of an hour-l…

Circuit court judge to rule quickly on lawsuit against state over timing of gas tax referendum

By Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM, Ore. 00 A Marion County Circuit Court judge said he will rule quickly on a case brought against the Oregon Secretary of State by GOP lawmakers and voters over the timing of a gas tax referendum. Senior Judge David Leith on Tuesday heard roughly an hour-and-a-half of arguments

Circuit Court judge will rule quickly on suit against state over timing of gas tax referendum

Plaintiff Julie Parrish, center, argues in support of a temporary restraining order to prevent Secretary of State Tobias Read from placing a referendum vote on the May ballot instead of November during a hearing to Judge David Leith on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at the Marion County Circuit Court in Salem, Ore. (Photo by Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal/pool)A Marion County Circuit Court judge said he will rule quickly on a case brought against the Or…

2 lawsuits challenge moving No Tax referendum to May primary

SALEM – There are now two lawsuits challenging moving the No Tax Oregon vote to the May primary from the November General Election. The Oregon Legislature’s Democrat supermajority forced the change the last week of its 2026 session. Elkhorn Media Group has already reported on Mary Martin v. Tobias Read. Mary Martin is a Klamath Falls resident who uses a wheelchair and lives on social security. Her suit in U.S. District Court in Portland contends…

Oregon judge to rule by Wednesday on lawsuit over gas tax referendum timing

A Marion County judge is expected to rule quickly on a lawsuit challenging Oregon’s decision to move a gas tax referendum from the November general election to the May primary. Republican lawmakers and voters argue the change violates constitutional protections for referendums.