The emergency writ petition that Governor Brown filed today, seeking to get his Justice and Rehabilitation Act initiative into circulation for voter signatures, claimed that if the Supreme Court didn’t issue a stay by tomorrow, it might be impossible to qualify the initiative for this November’s ballot. Early this evening, the court set an expedited supplemental briefing schedule for the writ proceeding, but did not stay yesterday’s superior court order that is preventing signature gathering.
The court is requiring the real parties in interest to email preliminary responses to the writ petition — in searchable electronic form — by 5:00 p.m. Monday. The court’s order says the responses “should address all issues presented in the petition . . ., including whether original relief is necessary in this court rather than the Court of Appeal because this matter presents issues of broad public importance that require speedy and final resolution.” Governor Brown and the other two initiative proponents will then have until 4:00 p.m. the following day to email a reply.