The Michigan Court of Appeals said Wednesday that a broad proposal to change the size and makeup of the courts and the Legislature shouldn't be allowed on the November ballot.
The court said the Reform Michigan Government Now ballot measure is "of a reach and expanse never before seen" in Michigan constitutional initiatives.
The unanimous opinion from the three-judge panel said the state constitution contains specific language requiring that any proposal of the magnitude and enormity of the RMGN initiative petition be submitted to a constitutional convention, and then to the citizens for approval.
The judges -- Patrick Meter, Bill Schuette and William Whitbeck -- ordered state election officials to not place the proposal on the ballot.
Dianne Byrum, a spokeswoman for the Reform Michigan Government Now proposal, said her group will appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court in an effort to get on the ballot.
"This is a travesty of justice," Byrum said of the court of appeals ruling. "The judges have shown they will do anything to protect the status quo and their perks."
The measure would trim judges' salaries 15 percent, reduce the appeals court by seven judges -- most of them Republicans -- and kick two GOP justices off the Michigan Supreme Court.
The proposal would change several parts of the state constitution affecting the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government. Opponents count at least three dozen changes, some of which they say could hand control of the Legislature and courts over to Democrats.
Tom Shields, a spokesman for an opposition group called Citizens Protecting Michigan's Constitution, said supporters of the ballot proposal "would be wasting their time" appealing to the Supreme Court.
"This ballot proposal has clearly been ruled unconstitutional," Shields said.
The opposition group includes the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which has strongly supported Republican justices on the Michigan Supreme Court.
The judges wrote that they were not offering an opinion on the merits of any of the proposals contained in the broad initiative.
Pay for lawmakers, legislators and other elected officials including the governor would be cut under the proposal. The size of the state Legislature would shrink, and a commission would be set up to establish new boundaries for House and Senate districts. State courts couldn't review the districts.
The proposal would require no-reason absentee voting, prohibit former elected officials from lobbying for two years and limit the number of state departments and commissions.
Supporters of the proposal, backed by some leaders of the Michigan Democratic Party and labor unions, likely collected enough signatures to make the ballot.
A review by state election officials estimated Reform Michigan Government Now supporters had collected about 415,000 valid voter signatures. That's more than the 380,126 signatures required to make the ballot.
The Board of State Canvassers was scheduled to vote on whether to OK the signatures at a meeting scheduled for Thursday. It is unclear what action, if any, the canvassers might consider given Wednesday's court ruling and the upcoming appeal.