The Michigan Supreme Court ponders a question of how big is 14 pt font. See WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444840104577549202116809114.html?mod=wsj_streaming_stream#articleTabs%3Darticle Michigan has a law on petitions to place something on the ballot to have titles in 14 pt font. This has raised a question of is it or isn't it. The petitioners used 14 pt Calibri Bold and thought they were in compliance. The plantiffs argue that the letters should be as high as 14/72 of an inch, or at least as high as letters in 14 pt Arial Bold. (None of the last 15 petitions to go on the ballot met a standard of 14/72 inch) The point has a vague definition, with at least four values, but all the modern values are close to 1/72 inch or metric equivalent. However, the point is NOT the letter height as most of us think, but the size of the type slug; it corresponds more to row spacing of lines of type when no extra spacing is added. See: http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/intermediate/a/measure_type.htm Different type faces preserve row spacing but have different letter heights. If the legislature wanted a specific height, they should have specified the letter height, preferably in millimeters, as various inches have existed over time. I don't know how the Court will decide, but petitioners made an honest effort to comply with a vague and poorly worded law. They shouldn't be penalized, and should get their petition on the ballot. (However, the voters should vote it down. Overturning the Emergency Financial Manager law will encourage cities to continue reckless spending they can't afford until they are forced into bankruptcy.)
