Opinion ID: 1401746
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denver County Judges

Text: The text of the Initiative proposes term limits for all active county judges. It further states that the governor shall appoint all future active county judges. As we have previously held, because the language of the Initiative encompasses Denver county court judges, it includes a second subject. By way of background, Article VI, Section 26 of the Colorado Constitution provides: The provisions of sections 16, 20, 23, 24 and 25 hereof shall not be applicable to judges of the county court of the City and County of Denver. The number, manner of selection, qualifications, term of office, tenure, and removal of such judges shall be as provided in the charter and ordinances of the City and County of Denver. Colo. Const. art. VI, § 26 (emphasis added). This home rule provision apportions independent authority over county court judgeships in the City and County of Denver. See, e.g., In re Proposed Initiative for 1999-2000 No. 29, 972 P.2d at 264; In re Proposed Initiative for 1997-1998 # 64, 960 P.2d at 1198; Francis v. County Court, 175 Colo. 308, 314-17, 487 P.2d 375, 378-79 (1971) (treating Article VI, Section 26 as a home rule provision). Generally, home rule provisions reflect an intent to vest in home rule cities the plenary power of self-government over matters of local concern. See Denver Urban Renewal Auth. v. Byrne, 618 P.2d 1374, 1380-81 (Colo.1980); see also Colo. Const. art. XX, § 6 (It is the intention of this article to grant and confirm to the people of all municipalities coming within its provisions the full right of self-government in both local and municipal matters....). In several prior decisions, this court has held that an initiative which includes sections altering the control over Denver county and municipal court judgeships violated the single-subject requirement. See In re Proposed Initiative for 1999-2000 No. 29, 972 P.2d at 264-65; In re Proposed Initiative for 1997-1998 # 64, 960 P.2d at 1198 (finding that prior version of the instant Initiative contained multiple subjects because repeal of Article VI, Section 26 did not share a unifying or common objective with those provisions changing the qualifications of judicial officers). Initiative # 104 again proposes an implied repeal of Section 26 by reallocating the City and County of Denver's governmental authority and control over its county judges to the state. As such an alteration of the City and County of Denver's constitutional power over its county court merely perpetuates the problem that we previously identified, we find that Initiative # 104 once again constitutes a discrete and independent subject from that of the qualifications, removal, and retention of judges.