OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on the Washington State Supreme Court striking down Initiative 976:

“I’m proud of my legal team, who worked long hours to defend the will of the voters, arguing successfully at the trial court that Initiative 976 was constitutional.

“To be candid, we knew this would be a difficult case. I-976 is the latest in a long list of Eyman tax initiatives struck down by the courts. In fact, Tim Eyman has never written a successful tax initiative that passed legal muster. Every one of his tax initiatives has been thrown out or partially blocked by the courts.

“Tim Eyman will, of course, do what he has done throughout this case — blame everyone but himself. He will again blame my outstanding legal team, even though the Supreme Court allowed interveners to present Eyman’s arguments. He will again blame my office for language in the ballot title that he specifically requested to be included in the title, and that was pulled word-for-word from his initiative. He should look in the mirror and apologize to voters for once again sending them an initiative that failed to survive a legal challenge and deliver on its promises.”