Arkansas Supreme Court building
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline)-The Arkansas Supreme Court has been asked to reject a legal challenge to a proposed state-run lottery in the Natural State.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Bill Halter and proponents of the plan made their request Monday. They are asking the state's high court to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the text of the proposed constitutional amendment rather than the ballot title.
Halter and others say the lottery would generate millions of dollars for college scholarships. Arkansas is one of just eight states without a lottery.
Proponents of the plan say the Family Council Action Committee's argument that establishing a state lottery would lead to casino gaming in the state is a red herring.
"Casino gambling is prohibited by statute in Arkansas, not by the Constitution," the court filing said.
The Family Council Action Committee is seeking to remove the measure from the Nov. 4 statewide ballot.
The group says the proposal's name and ballot title are "materially inaccurate, incomplete and misleading" because voters are not told that the proposal would remove language from the state constitution that prohibits lotteries.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.