
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 11, 1994                   TAG: 9402110093
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: SEATTLE                                LENGTH: Short

WASH. TERM-LIMIT LAW RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL

A state law restricting the number of times members of Congress can put their names on the ballot is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Plaintiffs seeking to overturn the congressional term limits in Washington's law included U.S. House Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., who is from Spokane.

The law, passed by voters in November 1992, limits U.S. House members to three two-year terms over 12 years and Senate members to two six-year terms over 18 years.

The measure does not prevent incumbents from seeking more terms, but does bar their names from the ballot after their time is up. They're free to mount write-in campaigns, and supporters have said the measure might more properly be called a "ballot-access" law, rather than a term-limits law.

- Associated Press

by CNB