Blake v. King

184 P.3d 52, 2008 Colo. LEXIS 455
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedMay 16, 2008
DocketNo. 08SA90
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 184 P.3d 52 (Blake v. King) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blake v. King, 184 P.3d 52, 2008 Colo. LEXIS 455 (Colo. 2008).

Opinions

Justice RICE

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

In this original proceeding brought pursuant to section 1-40-107(2), C.R.S. (2007), registered elector Joseph Blake ("Petitioner") seeks review of the Title Board's May 5, 2008 action in fixing the title, ballot title and submission clause ("titles") for a proposed ballot initiative designated "2007-2008 #62" ("the Initiative").1 The Initiative, if enacted, would amend the Colorado Constitution to establish standards and procedures to discharge or suspend employees. Under the proposal, an employee could not be discharged or suspended unless an employer establishes just cause for the discharge or suspension. The measure defines "just cause." It also requires employers to provide employees who have been discharged or suspended written documentation describing the justifications for the disciplinary action. Finally, the measure allows an employee who believes he or she was discharged or suspended without just cause to apply for mediation.

We conclude that the Initiative contains only one subject in compliance with article V, section 1(5.5) of the Colorado Constitution. In addition, we conclude that the titles set by the Title Board clearly express the subject of the Initiative and contain no catch phrases. Finally, we conclude that amendments made to the Initiative in response to comments from legislative staff did not violate the requirement that substantial amendments must be resubmitted to the directors of the Legislative Council and the Office of Legislative Legal Services. Accordingly, we affirm the action of the Title Board.

I. Facts

On February 20, 2008, the Title Board conducted its initial public meeting on the proposed initiative pursuant to section 1-40-106(1), C.R.S. (2007). The Title Board designated and fixed a title, ballot title, and submission clause for the Initiative. Petitioner timely filed a Motion for Rehearing pursuant to section 1-40-108(1), C.R.S. (2007), on February 27, 2008. On March 5, 2008, the Title Board denied Petitioner's motion, after which Petitioner initiated this original proceeding for review of the Title Board's action.

The Initiative's text simply provides, "No employee may be discharged or suspended unless the employer has first established just cause for the discharge or suspension." The Initiative defines "just cause" to mean: (a) incompetence; (b) substandard performance of assigned job duties; (c) neglect of assigned job duties; (d) repeated violations of the employer's written policies and procedures related to job performance; (e) gross insubordination that affects job performance; (£) willful misconduct that affects job performance; (g) conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude; (h) filing of bankruptcy by the employer; or (i) simultaneous discharge or suspension of ten percent or more of the employer's workforce in Colorado. The employer is required to provide to the employee written documentation of the just cause used to justify the action. Any employee who believes he or she was discharged or sus-peaded without just cause may, within thirty [56]*56days of the action, apply for mediation of his or her claim. Within 180 days after an employee files for mediation, the Initiative provides that a hearing shall be held before a private mediator. The mediator is empowered to award the employee back pay or reinstatement or both. The mediator is required to assess the costs of his or her services to the losing party, and is given the discretion to award attorneys fees to the prevailing party. The Initiative states that the mediator's decision shall be final.

Petitioner argues that this Initiative is unconstitutional because it violates the single-subject requirement of our state constitution. Specifically, Petitioner argues that the Initiative contains the following subjects: the elimination of the employment at-will doctrine in Colorado; the elimination of Colorado's civil service system; the elimination of the ability for employer and employee to contract and enter into collective bargaining agreements; the restriction of a party's rights to access the court system; and the restriction of a party's due process right to appeal a mediator's decision.

In addition, Petitioner argues that the titles of the Initiative are misleading and do not correctly and fairly express the Initiative's true intent and meaning. Specifically, Petitioner argues that the Initiative fails to express the purpose of the Initiative to repeal the employment at-will doctrine; fails to express that the Initiative eliminates the civil service system; fails to express that the measure eliminates the constitutional right to contract; fails to clearly express that the measure creates a new just cause standard governing the suspension and discharge of all employees in Colorado; and fails to express that the measure eliminates the fundamental right of access to the courts and due process rights to challenge a mediator's final decision. Upon our review of the relevant law governing the single subject and clear title requirements, we disagree with Petitioner's contentions.

II. Law

We held in In re Proposed Initiative for 1999-2000 # 25, 974 P.2d 458, 460-61 (Colo.1999), that two closely interdependent inquiries are germane to our review of a proposed initiative: one forbidding the union of separate and distinet subjects in the same proposed initiative, and the other commanding that the single subject treated in the body of the proposed initiative shall be clearly expressed in its titles. The following statement made by this court over one hundred years ago is illustrative of the duality of this requirement:

[The constitutional provision] embraces two mandates, vis.: one forbidding the union in the same legislative bill of separate and distinct subjects, and the other commanding that the subject treated in the body of the [proposal] shall be clearly expressed in its title. Each of these mandates is designed to obviate flagrant evils connected with the adoption of laws. The former prevents joining in the same [proposal] disconnected and incongruous matters. The purpose of the latter is "... to prevent the passage of unknown and alien subjects, which might be coiled up in the folds of the [proposal].

In re Breene, 14 Colo. 401, 404, 406, 24 P. 3, 3-4 (1890) (internal citations omitted). Adopting the foregoing statement from Breene as the analytical framework for our analysis, we examine the interrelated single-subject requirement and the clear title requirement in turn.

A. Single-Subject Requirement

The Colorado Constitution provides that the Title Board may not set the title of a proposed initiative, or submit it to the voters, if the initiative contains multiple subjects. See In re Proposed Initiative "Petitions", 907 P.2d 586, 588 (Colo.1995). Article V, section 1(5.5), which sets forth the single-subject requirement for initiatives, provides, in pertinent part:

No measure shall be proposed by petition containing more than one subject, which shall be clearty expressed in its title; but if any subject shall be embraced in any measure which shall not be expressed in the title, such measure shall be void only as to so much thereof as shall not be so expressed.

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Related

In Re Title, Ballot Title, Submission Cl.
184 P.3d 52 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 2008)

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Bluebook (online)
184 P.3d 52, 2008 Colo. LEXIS 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blake-v-king-colo-2008.