An amendment to the Nebraska Constitution that would ban affirmative action is the focus of a trial that continued Tuesday in Lincoln. The judge has set aside three days to hear the case.

Opponents of the proposed ban said during the trial opening that the initiative targeting affirmative action should not be on the November 4th ballot because petition circulators misled the signers. Supporters of the ban say the proper way to handle any violations is to prosecute individual circulators, not throw out thousands of signatures.

If approved by Nebraska voters, the amendment would ban public agencies from considering race, ethnicity or gender when hiring, selecting contractors or enrolling students. Supporters needed 112-thousand valid signatures. They collected more than 136-thousand.