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Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Law
Declining Controversial Cases: How Marriage Equality Changed The Paradigm, Elena Baylis
Declining Controversial Cases: How Marriage Equality Changed The Paradigm, Elena Baylis
Articles
Until recently, state attorneys general defended their states’ laws as a matter of course. However, one attorney general’s decision not to defend his state’s law in a prominent marriage equality case sparked a cascade of attorney general declinations in other marriage equality cases. Declinations have also increased across a range of states and with respect to several other contentious subjects, including abortion and gun control. This Essay evaluates the causes and implications of this recent trend of state attorneys general abstaining from defending controversial laws on the grounds that those laws are unconstitutional, focusing on the marriage equality cases as …
From Sovereignty And Process To Administration And Politics: The Afterlife Of American Federalism, Jessica Bulman-Pozen
From Sovereignty And Process To Administration And Politics: The Afterlife Of American Federalism, Jessica Bulman-Pozen
Faculty Scholarship
Announcing the death of dual federalism, Edward Corwin asked whether the states could be “saved as the vital cells that they have been heretofore of democratic sentiment, impulse, and action.” The federalism literature has largely answered in the affirmative. Unwilling to abandon dual federalism’s commitment to state autonomy and distinctive interests, scholars have proposed new channels for protecting these forms of state-federal separation. Yet today state and federal governance are more integrated than separate. States act as co-administrators and co-legislatures in federal statutory schemes; they carry out federal law alongside the executive branch and draft the law together with Congress. …
Democracy In Practice: Lessons From New England, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Kevin Dye
Democracy In Practice: Lessons From New England, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Kevin Dye
Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications
Political decision-making by elites require some form of civilian participation to regain legitimacy. Increasingly groups of Citizens do not trust in political elites and are increasingly frustrated by their behavior. When faced with the problem of diversity, even established democracies face problems of managing diversity. In the global context differences of opinion, culture, religion etc has defined many of the New Wars (Kaldor 1999). In the United States many non-state and semi-governmental organizations have developed programs to increase public knowledge of the legislature and its decision-making processes. The ultimate purpose of this is to exercise some control over state power. …
For Whom The Tel Tolls: Can State Tax And Expenditure Limits Effectively Reduce Spending?, Thad Kousser, Mathew D. Mccubbins, Ellen Moule
For Whom The Tel Tolls: Can State Tax And Expenditure Limits Effectively Reduce Spending?, Thad Kousser, Mathew D. Mccubbins, Ellen Moule
Faculty Scholarship
Can voters stop state governments from spending at high rates through the enactment of tax and expenditure limits (TELs), or do these laws become dead letters? We draw upon the principal-agent literature to theorize that TELs – one of the most frequent uses of the initiative process across the country – may be circumvented by the sorts of elected officials who would inspire their passage.
In order to investigate our claim, we conduct an event study. First, we test for the effectiveness of TELs across states using a differences-in-differences model. Second, we dissect our treatment variable using different legal provisions …
Out Of The Bottle: The Genie Of Direct Democracy, K.K. Duvivier
Out Of The Bottle: The Genie Of Direct Democracy, K.K. Duvivier
Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship
The initiative process is out of the bottle, and it is unlikely citizens will try to recork their genie anytime soon. While the process has proven to be subject to the same corrupting influences of money and special interests as the legislative process, citizen voters are motivated to begin using the initiative itself to regain its integrity.
Ennobling Direct Democracy, Sherman J. Clark
Ennobling Direct Democracy, Sherman J. Clark
Articles
In this essay, Professor Clark argues that we should be attentive to the effect that direct democracy might have on our public character. Building upon earlier work, Clark suggests that the initiative in particular threatens to debase us by undercutting a crucial character trait which might best be called "responsibility-taking." The bulk of this essay is devoted to explaining what this means, and why it matters. Why should we care about the effect of political processes on public character? Why is this particular trait important and worth preserving? How is it threatened by direct democracy? In conclusion, and by way …
The Educative Effects Of Direct Democracy: A Research Primer For Legal Scholars, Daniel A. Smith, Caroline J. Tolbert, Daniel C. Bowen
The Educative Effects Of Direct Democracy: A Research Primer For Legal Scholars, Daniel A. Smith, Caroline J. Tolbert, Daniel C. Bowen
University of Colorado Law Review
This article surveys recent studies by political scientists that examine the "educative effects" of ballot measures on political participation and civic engagement, as well as their impact on candidate elections. The article provides legal scholars with empirical evidence that can be used to bolster normative and theoretical claims about the process and politics of direct democracy. The authors conclude by presenting original empirical research on the effects of ballot measures on individual attitudes toward state government and political trust. The article hypothesizes that citizens who are given more opportunities to participate in politics will have more trust in state government. …
The Citizen Assembly: An Alternative To The Initiative, Kevin O'Leary
The Citizen Assembly: An Alternative To The Initiative, Kevin O'Leary
University of Colorado Law Review
The Citizen Assembly is a superior alternative to direct mass democracy and the initiative. Building on the ideas of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, it is possible to combine the traditional town hall and the Internet to fashion a new understanding of representative government that bridges the enormous gap that now exists between the political elite and the average voter. The assembly reform would increase opportunities for meaningful and intelligent participation by average citizens and improve public decisions. This article explains how a national network of citizen assemblies would work.
Taking The Initiative: Political Parties, Primary Elections, And The Constitutional Guarantee Of Republican Governance, Gavin M. Rose
Taking The Initiative: Political Parties, Primary Elections, And The Constitutional Guarantee Of Republican Governance, Gavin M. Rose
Indiana Law Journal
No abstract provided.
Can Direct Democracy Be Made Deliberative?, Ethan J. Leib
Can Direct Democracy Be Made Deliberative?, Ethan J. Leib
Faculty Scholarship
Every election cycle a great number of citizens take to the polls to vote on public policy matters directly. Direct democracy has problems. And an account of deliberative democracy—far from being a source to critique direct democracy—might provide a solution. I have three goals here. First, I hope to identify some problems with the mechanisms of direct democracy that most states and many cities throughout the country employ: the initiative and the referendum. Next, I will offer a potential solution to these institutional problems using aspects of the theory of deliberative democracy, a theory often marshaled to undermine direct democracy. …
Social Choice, Crypto-Initiaives, And Policymaking By Direct Democracy, Thad Kousser, Mathew D. Mccubbins
Social Choice, Crypto-Initiaives, And Policymaking By Direct Democracy, Thad Kousser, Mathew D. Mccubbins
Faculty Scholarship
No abstract provided.
(E)Racing Youth: The Racialized Construction Of California's Proposition 21 And The Development Of Alternate Contestations, Nicholas Espiritu
(E)Racing Youth: The Racialized Construction Of California's Proposition 21 And The Development Of Alternate Contestations, Nicholas Espiritu
Cleveland State Law Review
Illustrating the way in which conceptions of race and crime shape and are shaped by law is California's Proposition 21. Enacted in 2000, Proposition 21, also known as the Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act," was the product of California's direct democratic process through which voters are able to change the California Constitution through a simple majority vote. Part II address the ideological foundations of direct democracy and examines critically its ability to serve a democratic function. I examine the founders' rationale behind the decision not to employ a representative form of government, and look at direct democracy in …
When Does Government Limit The Impact Of Voter Initiatives?, Elisabeth R. Gerber
When Does Government Limit The Impact Of Voter Initiatives?, Elisabeth R. Gerber
Faculty Scholarship
Citizens use the initiative process to make new laws. Many winning initiatives, however, are altered or ignored after Election Day. We examine why this is, paying particular attention to several widely-ignored properties of the post-election phase of the initiative process. One such property is the fact that initiative implementation can require numerous governmental actors to comply with an initiative’s policy instructions. Knowing such properties, the question then becomes: When do governmental actors comply with winning initiatives? We clarify when compliance is full, partial, or not at all. Our findings provide a template for scholars and observers to better distinguish cases …
How Democratic Are Initiatives?, Richard B. Collins
How Democratic Are Initiatives?, Richard B. Collins
Publications
No abstract provided.
The Soul Of A New Political Machine: The Online, The Color Line And Electronic Democracy, Eben Moglen, Pamela S. Karlan
The Soul Of A New Political Machine: The Online, The Color Line And Electronic Democracy, Eben Moglen, Pamela S. Karlan
Faculty Scholarship
In this Essay, we want to suggest two ways in which people's experience with the Internet may affect how they think politics ought to be organized, and to consider the consequences for the political aspirations of minority communities. First, the notion of "virtual communities” – that is, communities that affiliate along nongeographic lines – may provide new support for alternatives to traditional geographic districting practices. As Americans become more comfortable with the idea that people can belong to voluntarily created, overlapping, fluid, nongeographically defined communities, which may be as important as the physical communities in which they live, they may …
A Populist Critique Of Direct Democracy, Sherman J. Clark
A Populist Critique Of Direct Democracy, Sherman J. Clark
Articles
It is often assumed that direct democratic processes - referenda and initiatives - offer the people a chance to speak more clearly than is possible through representative processes. Courts, commentators, and political leaders have defended or described direct democratic outcomes as the voice of the "people themselves." Because plebiscites allow the people to speak directly, without the potential distortion inherent in representation, they seem ideally responsive to popular will. Indeed, even critics of direct democracy appear to grant as much. Critics are quick to point out, of course, that actual plebiscites often fall far short of the ideal. Uneven voter …
Direct Democracy And Bioethical Choices: Voting Life And Death At The Ballot Box, Judith F. Daar
Direct Democracy And Bioethical Choices: Voting Life And Death At The Ballot Box, Judith F. Daar
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Direct democracy, the political process that enables citizens to draft, circulate, and enact laws, has become the refuge for grassroots organizations seeking statutory validation in a legislative arena perceived to be unresponsive or unfriendly to their concerns. One group of citizens, advocates for physician-aid-in-dying, has recently emerged on the national scene, sponsoring state ballot initiatives in three states and pledging to continue their quest for legalization of physician-assisted death throughout the country. In this Article, Professor Daar examines the interplay between direct democracy and regulation of end-of-life decision making. This examination reveals that lawmaking by initiative, as seen through the …
Direct Democracy: The Right Of The People To Make Fools Of Themselves; The Use And Abuse Of Initiative And Referendum, A Local Government Perspective, Daniel M. Warner
Direct Democracy: The Right Of The People To Make Fools Of Themselves; The Use And Abuse Of Initiative And Referendum, A Local Government Perspective, Daniel M. Warner
Seattle University Law Review
The Framers of the United States Constitution did not embrace direct, populist democracy. They rejected the Swiss model of direct legislation' and chose a system of representative-republican, not democratic-government that would, as James Madison wrote, "enlarge the public views by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial [partisan] considerations." Representative democracy presumes that an informed electorate will choose wise legislators. Direct democracy, by extension, demands that citizens …