North Dakota Court Rules October 23 That Beef Council Nomination Process Is Unconstitutional; $2-Per-Head Checkoff Stands
BISMARCK, Burleigh County, North Dakota — On October 23, South Central District Judge Jackson J. Lofgren ruled that the state law giving four agricultural organizations the exclusive right to nominate six of the nine seats on the state Beef Council is invalid. The provision created a "closed class" in violation of the anti-privilege clause in Article I, Section 21 of the state constitution; the governor may now appoint members directly and accept recommendations from any group. The ruling was reported publicly on October 27.
The court upheld the beef checkoff (a $2-per-head fee, of which the state keeps $1.50) and the "participating producer" eligibility rule, under which producers who received a refund in the past three years may not serve. The plaintiffs were ranchers Graner, Maher and Heaton and their group, the Ranchers Rights Initiative.
Source: GSM · America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于俾斯麦的北达科他州议会大厦（Quintin Soloviev 摄，CC BY 4.0，Wikimedia Commons）
