Case Name: In the Matter of Initiative Petition for a Ten Commandments Display. CITY OF BOISE CITY, a municipal corporation, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS COALITION, an unincorporated association, Bryan J. Fischer, an individual, and Melissa B. Swindell, an individual, Defendants-Appellants
Court: Idaho Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Idaho
Decision Date: 2006-08-14
Citations: 143 Idaho 254
Docket Number: No. 31308
Parties: In the Matter of Initiative Petition for a Ten Commandments Display. CITY OF BOISE CITY, a municipal corporation, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS COALITION, an unincorporated association, Bryan J. Fischer, an individual, and Melissa B. Swindell, an individual, Defendants-Appellants.
Judges: Justices EISMANN, BURDICK and JONES concur.
Reporter: Idaho Reports
Volume: 143
Pages: 254–260

Head Matter:
141 P.3d 1123
In the Matter of Initiative Petition for a Ten Commandments Display. CITY OF BOISE CITY, a municipal corporation, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS COALITION, an unincorporated association, Bryan J. Fischer, an individual, and Melissa B. Swindell, an individual, Defendants-Appellants.
No. 31308.
Supreme Court of Idaho. Boise,
December 2005 Term.
Aug. 14, 2006.
Troupis Law Office, Meridian, for Appellants. Christ T. Troupis argued.
Cary B. Colaianni, Boise City Attorney, Boise, for Respondent. Valencia J. Bilyeu argued.

Opinion:
SCHROEDER, Chief Justice.
The Keep the Commandments Coalition (the Coalition) filed an Initiative Petition for a Ten Commandments Display (Petition) with the city clerk demanding the enactment of a proposed ordinance for the Ten Commandments display to be placed in Julia Davis Park. The City of Boise City (the City) filed a Petition for Declaratory Judgment in which it requested the district court to decree that the City is not authorized or required to hold an initiative election in this case. The district court granted the declaratory judgment. The Coalition appealed.
I.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
The Fraternal Order of Eagles donated a Ten Commandments monument to the City in 1965 which was placed in Julia Davis Park. The Mayor and City council removed the Ten Commandments display from the park and moved it to St. Michael's Cathedral in March 2004. The Coalition, an unincorporated association, filed the Petition with the Boise City Clerk, respectfully demanding that the City enact a proposed ordinance for placement of a Ten Commandments display in Julia Davis Park. The Petition stated the following:
We the undersigned citizens and qualified electors of the City of Boise respectfully demand that the following proposed ordinance, to-wit:
Be it ordained by the mayor and council of the City of Boise that, within 60 days of the effective date of this Ordinance, the Boise Parks and Recreation Department shall cause to be erected in Julia Davis Park, in the same location which formerly displayed the Fraternal Order of Eagles Ten Commandments monument, the following display: a Ten Commandments monument substantially similar in size, composition, and content to that given to the city in the 1960s by the Fraternal Order of Eagles and moved to St. Michael's Cathedral in March, 2004; within 20 feet of the Ten Commandments monument, a second monument of substantially similar composition and size, containing an excerpt from Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In the front of the monuments, and plainly visible to passersby, shall be a plaque stating the city's commitment to religious freedom and acknowledgement of the secular influence of the texts displayed on the monuments.
This display shall, to the extent practical, be identical to the display erected at the Bannock County Courthouse in Pocatello, and upheld in the case of Albanese v. Bannock County, Case # 93-CV-115, U.S. District Court, District of Idaho; and, this ballot in question shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the City of Boise, for their approval or rejection at the general election to be held on the 2nd day of November, A.D., 2004, or on such date as may be set by the Boise City Clerk pursuant to Idaho Code Section 34-106, and each for himself says: I have personally signed this petition; I am a qualified elector of the City of Boise; my residence and post office are correctly after my name.
The Clerk verified the signatures on the petitions and concluded that there were 10,-721 signatures of qualified electors, a sufficient number to place the Petition on the ballot.
The Petition was presented to the City council, which refused to place it on the ballot. In a letter dated June 22, 2004, the City informed the Coalition that the matter was not a proper subject for the initiative process since the Petition improperly sought to implement an administrative act, rather than a legislative act, through an initiative election. The City directed the Boise City Attorney to file an action concerning this matter, and on August 27,2004, the City filed a Petition for Declaratory Judgment. The City asked the district court to declare that the City is not authorized or required to hold an initiative election in this case.
The district court granted the declaratory judgment, ruling that the City is not authorized to hold an initiative election upon the Petition, reasoning that the City had a process for the placing of monuments in city parks at the time of the proposed initiative. The Coalition appealed.
II.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
The standard of review for questions of law is one of free review. Electrical Wholesale Supply Co., Inc. v. Nielson, 136 Idaho 814, 825, 41 P.3d 242, 253 (2001).
III.
THE PROPOSED INITIATIVE IS NOT RIPE FOR REVIEW
Article III, Section 1 of the Idaho Constitution reserves power to propose and enact legislation to the people independent of the legislature. It provides in part:
The people reserve to themselves the power to propose laws, and enact the same at the polls independent of the legislature. This power is known as the initiative, and legal voters may, under such conditions and in such manner as may be provided by acts of the legislature, initiate any desired legislation and cause the same to be submitted to the vote of the people at a general election for their approval or rejection.
The manner in which the initiative power may be exercised is set forth in I.C. § 34-1701, et seq., and § 34-1801, et seq. Idaho Code § 50-501 states, "[t]he city council of each city shall provide by ordinance for direct legislation by the people through the initiative and referendum." The City of Boise City achieved this when it enacted Boise Municipal Code § 1-22-01, et seq. Section 1-22-01 provides, "The People of this City shall have the right to enact ordinances through the initiative process, and to repeal ordinances through the referendum process, according to the procedures set forth herein." The language of I.C. § 50-501 indicates that initiatives and referenda are to be used for legislation. This Court has held, "referenda and initiatives in Idaho are constrained to addressing 'acts' or 'measures' passed by a legislative body. In other words, a referendum can only seek to reject an 'act' or 'measure,' and an initiative can only seek to implement an 'act' or 'measure.' " Weldon v. Bonner County Tax Coalition, 124 Idaho 31, 38, 855 P.2d 868, 875 (1993). If a subject is legislative in ñatee, it is appropriate for action by initiative. On the other hand, if the proposed initiative is administrative in nature, it falls outside the scope of action allowable by initiative. There is no bright line rule that clearly distinguishes what is legislative in nature, as opposed to administrative in nature.
The issue in this case is whether the initiative process should be interrupted by the Court to consider the validity of the initiative on an otherwise qualified initiative petition prior to submission to the voters. Such action would be consistent with this Court's holdings in Weldon and Gumprecht v. City of Coeur d'Alene, 104 Idaho 615, 661 P.2d 1214 (1983), and the reasoning in Perrault v. Robinson, 29 Idaho 267, 158 P. 1074 (1916). The alternative is that recognized by this Court in Noh v. Cenarrusa, 137 Idaho 798, 53 P.3d 1217 (2002), in which the Indian Gaming Initiative qualified to appear on the ballot in the November 2002 general election. Noh, 137 Idaho at 799, 53 P.3d at 1218. The Petitioners sought a declaration that the Indian Gaming Initiative violated the Idaho Constitution and a writ prohibiting the initiative from appearing on the ballot. Id. This Court noted that the traditional ripeness doctrine requires a petitioner to prove: "1) that the case presents definite and concrete issues, 2) that a real and substantial controversy exists, and 3) that there is a present need for adjudication." Id. at 801, 53 P.3d at 1220. This Court concluded that Noh did not meet the elements of the traditional ripeness test. Id. The Court reasoned that there was not a real controversy since the Indian Gaming Initiative was only a proposal and it had not become a law. Id. If the initiative did not pass, there would be no need for an adjudication as to its validity. The subject was not ripe for resolution and might never become ripe. The Court concludes that the reasoning in Noh is sound.
The approach in Weldon, Gumprecht, and Perrault takes the court into controversies that may never become realities, calling for rulings when the initiative might never pass or might be amended or set aside by the legislative authority. It may prevent the voters from articulating a view by the ballot that could be instructive to the legislative authority, whichever way the votes are cast. The benefits of public debate through the initiative process may be lost. Resolution of a matter of public concern may be delayed while litigation pends. The hard work of obtaining qualifying signatures may be wasted in the event the Court finds a single flaw in the initiative, necessitating a new petition process even though the flaw could be cured by the legislature or stricken by the courts should the initiative pass. Proponents of an initiative must face the cost of defending the initiative before it ever has a chance to pass, erecting still another barrier to obtaining the decision of the voters.
Doubtless there may be a cost in conducting an election on an initiative that ultimately fails, or is ruled invalid, or set aside by the legislature. However, the initiative process arises from the Idaho Constitution, Article III, Section 1, and extends to the cities by legislative mandate. I.C. § 50-501. It is not an inconvenience created by rabble rousers and malcontents to vex established authority. The initiative process is a mandate, significant enough to be embodied in the Idaho Constitution, that enables voters to address issues of concern. Sometimes it compels authorities to listen when nothing else will. To the extent the conclusion in this case is inconsistent with Weldon, Gumprecht and Perrault they are overruled.
In this case the initiative may not pass in which case the issue of whether it steps over the bounds of a proper initiative would be moot. The initiative may pass and be the proper subject of an adjudication, or the City council may exercise its authority to amend or reject it. The validity of the action sought by the petition may or may never be the proper subject for Court action. Just as the Court would not interrupt the legislature in the consideration of a bill prior to enactment, the Court will not interrupt the consideration of a properly qualified initiative. The petition qualifies for the ballot for consideration by the voters.
IV.
CONCLUSION
The decision of the district court to grant the City's Petition for Declaratory Judgment is reversed. The Coalition is allowed costs. No attorney fees are allowed.
Justices EISMANN, BURDICK and JONES concur.