The commonwealth court has struck down a legislative attempt to enshrine certain rights for crime victims into the state's constitution.

In the summer of 2019, the state Senate unanimously passed Marsy's Law, a constitutional amendment that voters would have decided on in the November 2019 election as a referendum. It would have enshrined into the state constitution rights for crime victims that include notifications about the case and being allowed to attend and weigh in during plea hearings, sentencings and parole proceedings.

But the question was halted after a legal challenge in October led to a state Supreme Court ruling on the eve of balloting in November 2019.

On Thursday, that ongoing litigation came to an end with the commonwealth's decision that the amendment was unconstitutional, finding that the vague wording of the wannabe law would lead to unintended consequences of complicating the system and hindering the process as a whole.

Proponents of Marsy's Law, like the Office of Commonwealth Victim Advocate, said they would appeal the decision to the state's Supreme Court.

This is a breaking news report — subscribers can click to read the full article in Friday's Butler Eagle.