Massachusetts: Appellate Court greenlights Townsend recall effort

An appellate court reversed a nine month old decision stopping the recall of Selectmen Gordon Clark and Cindy King with the court limiting its role in policing recalls:

"The role of courts in policing recall elections generally is limited to ensuring the integrity of the process," the court wrote. "(Previous) cases counsel against courts being drawn into evaluating the stated grounds for recall, something that would run the risk of the courts usurping the public debate on local issues to be decided at the ballot box."

However, Clark's term ends next month and King appears to be running for State Representative. The issue was an investigation of the police officials for running unlawful background checks on town employees.