Court Opinion

ID: 9542171
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:31:37.086339+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:06:52.300320
License: Public Domain

Gunderson, J.,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent.
I question whether the federal issue could, in any event, be considered correctly decided. Moreover, so far as I can perceive, my colleagues have not explained how it is proper under the Nevada Constitution for our Legislature — through an “Act” obviously intended neither to make nor to modify law, and therefore manifestly outside the Legislature’s normal lawmaking function — to utilize this state’s election ballots in ways not contemplated by Nevada’s Constitution.
As the Legislative Counsel concedes, in Gibson v. Mason, 5 Nev. 283 (1869), this court declared the Legislature could not properly use the ballots to shift ultimate responsibility for enactment of a proposed law to the voters.1 A fortiori, it would seem the Legislature, by Constitution solely a law-making body, may not pass a non-law requiring an “advisory” vote which binds neither the Legislature nor anyone else, and which *604defers to a future day decisions on how the vote may be used to shift or dilute legislative responsibility.
In Opinion of the Justices Relative to Eighteenth Amendment, 160 N.E. 439 (Mass. 1928), the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts treated a question identical in principle to the one before us, i.e. whether an attempt through initiative petition to order an advisory question onto the State election ballots was proper under the Massachusetts Constitution. Deciding such a directive was an improper exercise of law-making power, the Massachusetts court noted its view that “[t]he precise question is whether it is a ‘law’ . . .” Holding in the negative, that respected court noted that “the word ‘law’ imports a general rule of conduct,” 160 N.E. at 440, which of course the “Act” of our Legislature, now under consideration, most certainly does not involve. The Court went on to note that the supposed law was
. . . wanting in features essential to constitute its provisions a law within any permissible conception of the meaning of that word. Superficial appearances cannot clothe with the attributes of law something in substance vain and inoperative. The mandate to the secretary of the commonwealth in section 2 to tabulate the returns of the votes and to “transmit copies * * * to each Senator and Representative in Congress from this commonwealth” is subsidiary and incidental to the main purpose of the proposed law; it relates to a matter which standing alone possesses no legal force; it cannot convert into a law something in itself ineffectual.
160 N.E. at 440.
Ms. Atkins, counsel for the E.R.A. proponents, in effect contends this “advisory” referendum is not only unconstitutional on its face, but inherently unfair to historically disadvantaged and therefore relatively underfinanced persons, such as the proponents in this case arguably are. Ms. Atkins notes that rather than being able to concentrate their efforts merely on persuading the Nevada Legislature, as the U.S. Constitution would contemplate, E.R.A. proponents will now be forced to expend important financial resources attempting to win a totally non-binding victory in the November election — under penalty of having defeat used against them during the later, binding struggle in the Legislature.
Moreover, as Ms. Atkins points out, the E.R.A. proponents may well incur disadvantages from the “advisory” referendum — even if statewide vote totals show overall approval of the E.R.A. Election returns will be available district by district. Hence, arguably some key legislators might be persuaded by *605the advisory vote to oppose the E.R.A., even if Ms. Atkins’ clients succeed in generating general support for the amendment throughout Nevada.
Thus, Ms. Atkins argues in effect, by the improper use of the Nevada election process, the cost of the ratification process contemplated by the U.S. Constitution will be increased, its complexion will be changed, and uncontemplated complexities will be imposed. I agree.

“An act of the legislature made dependent upon their votes or approval would be utterly void — and so it has been frequently held.” Id. at 293.