Washington judge blocks release of petitioners' names

A Washington judge has approved a temporary restraining order blocking the release of a list of petitioners who favor a referendum on changes to the state’s domestic-partnership law. The political group Protect Marriage Washington requested the order, saying that the release could lead to harassment from gay-rights activists, The Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, the petition information is a public record under Washington state law. The AP reports supporters of gay rights had intended to publish the list on the Web.

In January a similar request was made on similar grounds in California, amid the fallout from the passage of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. In that case, a judge denied a request by a group of Proposition 8 supporters who wanted personal information about the proposition’s financial backers removed from the state’s Web site.