Harrah's Ad Questioned by Officials

PROVIDENCE , Rhode Island – State Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams and Governor Carcieri have both called into question a pro-casino advertisement that ran this week.

"Williams and other justices raised concerns about the full-page color ad by Harrah's Entertainment and the Narragansett Indian Tribe, saying it might be misconstrued as an official court communication or that the judges took a position on the casino question.

"When Governor Carcieri's office was asked about the ad, his spokesman went further calling it 'blatantly false advertising.'

"The ad, purchased in The Providence Sunday Journal, has a large photo of the state's main courthouse and in big bold letters says: 'The Supreme Court Agrees: The People Have the Right to Vote.'

"However, that's not quite true.

"The court declined last week to rule on the constitutionality of a November ballot question asking voters to approve a West Warwick casino. Sidestepping the issue, the court said Carcieri, who brought forth the challenge, had no standing to do so…"

2006-07-23