Court Opinion

ID: 9782449
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 18:33:16.648414+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:12:36.128548
License: Public Domain

Justice KIDWELL,
Specially Concurring.
The underlying issue before us is whether the Idaho Constitution and laws allow the state legislature to repeal a law that started life as an initiative. The wisdom of term limits or the judgment of the legislature in repealing term limits legislation is the province of the legislative branch of Idaho government.
The majority opinion addresses most of the relevant issues this perplexing public issue raises. Therefore, I concur with the analysis and conclusions set forth by the majority. I write separately because I believe it is necessary to discuss the constitutional problem articulated by Chief Justice Holden in his dissent in Luker v. Curtis, 64 Idaho 703, 136 P.2d 978 (1943).
On April 17, 2002, this Court set the present action for an expedited healing, and very specifically asked the parties to address Article 3, § 1 of the Idaho Constitution.
The part of Article 3, § 1 of the Idaho Constitution that needs clarification states, “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----” (emphasis added). The dissent in Luker, by Chief Justice Holden, raises the interesting question — what does “independent of the legislature” mean?
In Luker, Article 3, § 1 was the issue before the Court. The Luker Court held that statutes initiated by the people and statutes enacted by the legislature were on equal footing. Id. at 706, 136 P.2d at 979. In his dissent, Chief Justice Holden contended that the majority’s opinion had the effect of rendering Article 3, § 1 “a mere worthless ‘scrap of paper.’ ” He argued that allowing the legislature the power to repeal initiated legislation annulled that provision of the Constitution and also rendered it “useless, absurd, and ridiculous.” Id. at 715-16, 136 P.2d at 984.
However, on a less harsh note, I believe that “independent of the legislature” applies to the people’s power and ability to propose laws through the initiative process, free from interference by the legislature. A proposed initiative cannot be amended, reviewed, or thwarted by the legislature. The initiative power is reserved to the people and is to be exercised without intrusion by the legislature. It is this power reserved to the people that this Court must adamantly preserve and protect.
However, once an initiative is voted upon and becomes a law, then, as the Luker court *322held, it is on equal footing with legislative acts. A close reading of the Luker majority opinion reveals that the terms “law” and “initiative” are unfortunately used interchangeably. This is incorrect in my opinion. It needs to be made clear that the legislature can amend or repeal a law that resulted from the initiative process, but cannot interfere with the initiative itself. Whether proposed legislation is passed by the legislature, passed by the people as an initiative, or approved by the people as a referendum, the resulting law is equal to other laws. The terms “law” and “initiative” should not be used interchangeably. A law, even if it began as an initiative, may be amended or repealed by the legislature without violating Article 3, § 1 of the Idaho Constitution.
The majority holding today is in accord with Luker, but does not address the ambiguity or question raised by Chief Justice Holden’s dissent. In my view, the majority opinion not only agrees with Luker, it is compatible with the questions raised in the Luker dissent if the analysis herein is followed. I agree with the decision to affirm the Luker Court’s holding that a law resulting from an initiative is on equal footing with a law resulting from a legislative act. Here, the legislature has acted, perhaps unwisely, but within the Constitution of the State of Idaho.