NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—A Nashville judge ruled Thursday night against placing a referendum on the local ballot that would ban the use of foreign languages in Nashville's official communications and publications.

Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman upheld a decision by the Davidson County Election Commission.

The referendum proposes to amend Nashville's charter to specify that the city's official actions, communications and publications could be in English only.

Supporters of the measure collected more than 12,000 signatures, enough to place it before voters in November. But the election commission voted late last month to keep the initiative off the ballot on a technical issue: Referendums are not allowed to be held within two years of each other, and this one would fall three days short of that mark.

Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, who sponsored the petition drive, said after Thursday's ruling that he will appeal, probably Friday.

This is not the first stumbling block in the effort to make Nashville government operate in English only. Crafton pushed a similar measure through the city council last year, but it was vetoed by then-Mayor Bill Purcell.

K.C. McAlpin, executive director of the Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit ProEnglish, has said if voters approve the referendum, Nashville — with about 600,000 residents — would become the largest city ever to pass such a measure.

In her ruling, Bonnyman defended the 45-year-old Metro Charter, saying in its initial draft the council could have changed the time restriction but kept it at two years.

"The court must agree with the election commission," she said from the bench.

A coalition of groups sought to intervene in the lawsuit, including the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

"It speaks volumes for a coalition of people to come together and make sure the election procedures are followed," said Kenny Byrd, the main attorney for the coalition.

ProEnglish funded the petition drive, giving Crafton's group about $19,000 of the $20,000 it spent contacting voters through automated phone calls and postcards.

Much of Nashville's business community has come out against the measure, fearing it could hurt the city's economic growth, especially tourism and recruiting international companies.

Current Mayor Karl Dean also has said he opposes the referendum.

 Source: AP News