Opinion ID: 2176972
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Separation-of-Powers Claim

Text: The Governor further contends that the revolving-door legislation violates the separation-of-powers doctrine. The Governor asserts that appointing qualified and experienced individuals to assist him in running the affairs of the state is an integral element of his duties. The revolving-door legislation, he asserts, substantially impinges on his duty by severely curtailing the pool of candidates from which he can choose his appointees. The doctrine of separation of powers is an inherent and integral element of the republican form of government. In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor, 612 A.2d at 18. `[O]ne branch of government may exercise some of the powers of the other departments    when it is not an assumption of the whole power of another department,    .' Id. We have adopted the separation-of-powers test as formulated in Chadha v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 634 F.2d 408 (9th Cir.1980), aff'd, 462 U.S. 919, 103 S.Ct. 2764, 77 L.Ed.2d 317 (1983); see State v. Jacques, 554 A.2d 193, 195-96 (R.I. 1989). `[T]he twin purposes of preventing concentrations of power dangerous to liberty and of promoting governmental efficiency are served if we define a constitutional violation of the separation of powers as [1] an assumption by one branch of powers that are central or essential to the operation of a coordinate branch, [2] provided also that the assumption disrupts the coordinate branch in the performance of its duties and [3] is unnecessary to implement a legitimate policy of the Government.' Id. at 196. The Governor contends that subsections (n) and ( o ) of § 36-14-5 impermissibly impinge on his appointment power. According to the first prong of the Chadha test, we must first determine whether the legislative branch has assumed powers that are essential to the operation of the executive branch. See Jacques, 554 A.2d at 196. The Legislature has assumed no power through the administration of the statute and cannot force upon the Governor appointments that he deems unacceptable. The Legislature has imposed certain minimal temporary restrictions on the pool of available applicants. Subsections (n) and ( o ) do not contain any language that vests the Legislature with any appointment power. Consequently the Legislature has not, directly or indirectly, assumed any essential power of the Governor. Thus subsections (n) and ( o ) survive the first prong of the Chadha test. Likewise, the subsections also survive the second and third prongs of the Chadha test. See Jacques, 554 A.2d at 196. Although the statute does have a minimal impact on the number of available candidates that the Governor may choose from, that impact does not disrupt his ability to carry out his duties. We view the definition of disruption as the act of throw[ing] into confusion or disorder. The American Heritage Dictionary, 408 (Second College Ed. 1982). The Governor is unlimited in his choices of appointments to important policy-making, confidential, and discretionary positions. The subsections temporarily limit the Governor's choices for other appointments to the judiciary, various commissions, and state agencies. The restriction is limited to a one-year period and applies to a very small number of candidates when compared to the entire pool of applicants available to the Governor. This finite restriction cannot be said to throw into confusion the Governor's ability to carry out his duties. We are not persuaded that the Governor's inability to appoint this limited number of individuals would render him incapable of performing the necessary duties of his office. As we have discussed in an earlier part of this opinion, the legislative aim of the revolving-door legislation is to ensure that public officials avoid the appearance of impropriety and enhance public confidence and integrity in our system of representation. We believe that the statute is designed to achieve a legitimate purpose. See Jacques, 554 A.2d at 196. In our view, subsections (n) and ( o ) of § 36-14-5 do not violate the separation-of-powers doctrine. The Governor also contends that Regulations XX-XX-XXXX and XX-XX-XXXX violate the separation-of-powers doctrine. The Governor contends that Regulation 36-14-5007 substantially impinges on his appointment power while Regulation 36-14-5006 restricts legislators and local officials from fulfilling their duty to make appointments to public office. This court has specifically stated that the commission cannot assume powers that are central or essential to the operation of the Governor's office or of the General Assembly. In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor, 612 A.2d 1 (R.I. 1992). This court has reserved the power to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether the actions of the commission have violated the separation-of-powers doctrine. Id. at 20. [T]he commission may not set standards that seriously impinge upon the executive or the legislative branch's ability to perform the usual or ordinary duties for which each is elected, including the appointment of various officials to public office.    [U]nless the commission is usurping the power of another [branch] or coercively influencing the [other branch], there is no violation of the doctrine of separation of powers. (Emphasis added.) Id. at 19. The instant regulations do not deprive the Governor or the General Assembly or local officials of their power to make appointments. As we have stated, the de minimis restriction that is placed on the power to make appointments is temporary and is not seriously intrusive of either the executive or the legislative branch's power. For the same reasons stated in the previous section in which we analyzed subsections (n) and ( o ) of § 36-14-5, we believe that the regulations do not violate the separation-of-powers doctrine.