On January 4, 2013, D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan set to a letter to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics that he has serious rservatons about the legality of the Charter amendment referendum on budget autonomy that the Council passed in October. Mike DeBonis covered the story in an article published online on January 6, 2013 and in the printed edition of the Washington Post on January 7, 2013. Tom Howell, Jr. covered the hearing before the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics on January 7, 2013 in the Washington Times. Emma Dumain covered the D.C. Board of Election and Ethic's decision to approve putting the charter referendum on the April 23, 2013 special election ballot.