Oregon Public Broadcasting

 A judge in Salem will hear arguments Monday in a case that pits the Oregon Secretary of State against conservative initiative activists.

A group led by former Republican lawmaker Kevin Mannix is suing to have the court reinstate thousands of signatures that were thrown out.

The names were disallowed on an initiative that would put retired judges in change of drawing up new legislative and congressional districts.

Mannix says entire signature sheets are being discarded because of one error on the sheet. He says thatís well beyond what state law permits when it comes to invalidating initiative signatures.

Kevin Mannix: "The statute may allow you to do A, B and C. They are doing A-B-C-D-F. The rules are going well beyond what the statute allows."

A spokesman for Secretary of State Kate Brown defended the signature verification process.

Don Hamilton says heís confident it's being conducted fairly and legally.

The redistricting initiative has not yet been officially disqualified. But Mannix says it appears unlikely to make it at this point.