The Oklahoma Three Are Free

We read:

"We're happy to report that Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has dismissed criminal charges against three political activists and finally ended his assault on popular democracy in the Sooner State.

In 2007, Mr. Edmondson accused Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson and Rick Carpenter of trying to defraud the state. The Oklahoma Three, as they came to be known, faced 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted. Their alleged crime? Working to get a Taxpayer Bill of Rights initiative on the ballot that would limit increases in government spending. The political class despises spending caps, and Mr. Edmondson wants to curry favor with unions and other groups that oppose tax and spending limits.

The AG claimed the organizers hired people from outside of Oklahoma to gather signatures, which violated a state law that banned nonresidents from circulating petitions. But Mr. Jacob maintained that he and his codefendants sought the advice of state officials before hiring anyone and were acting in good faith. Last month the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Oklahoma law as unconstitutional, noting that the circulation of ballot petitions is "core political speech" protected by the First Amendment.

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