In Re Brown

OPINION

Justice GOLDBERG,

for the Court.

This matter came before the Supreme Court on an expedited appeal from a judgment of the Superior Court. Governor Donald L. Carcieri (Governor) and both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly (General Assembly) appealed separate portions of the same Superior Court judgment regarding the Governor’s authority to order nonbinding referendum questions to be placed on the general election ballot. Due to the time-sensitive nature of ballot preparation, 1 we granted the parties’ joint motion to expedite the appeal, heard oral arguments on August 7, 2006, and…