Point of Order
December 16, 1974
Conditions for reading
Hon. James Jerome
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
"Any petition which is proposed to be read... should refrain from expressing an opinion with regard to the House or the government or the positions taken by Members of the House, but rather... it should seek a redress of grievance. Petitions which have been accepted previously have sought to redress what might have been a legitimate grievance." "The words [of this petition]... do cast a reflection and express an opinion upon a stand taken by the government... [T]his ought not to be done byway of petition but ought to be done during the course of debate by elected Members of this House."
Edit Metadata
Holding
"Petitions are out of order if they express an opinion or cast a reflection on the government's position; they must instead seek a redress of grievance."
AI Summary
A Speaker's ruling clarifies that petitions must seek a redress of grievance and cannot be used to express opinions on government positions, a role reserved for debate by Members.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Sustained
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Routine Proceedings
- Significance
Low
High