Chris Micheli – Page 318 – California Globe

Is There Liability for Enacting Unconstitutional Laws?

June 5, 2019 6:00 amJune 2, 2019 9:12 pm

I have occasionally been asked whether there is any recourse when the Legislature and Governor enact a law that violates the state and/or federal constitutions. Obviously, the first action would be to challenge the enacted bill in either a state...

Choosing Judges in California

June 3, 2019 6:15 amJune 2, 2019 8:18 am

Members of the California judiciary are selected in one of two ways. The first is for trial judges, those of the Superior Courts, and the second is for appellate court justices. Trial judges are elected by voters at an election...

What is Grassroots Lobbying?

May 31, 2019 7:59 amMay 31, 2019 9:11 am

Grassroots lobbying is an important component of successful lobbying because it is complimentary to direct lobbying of elected officials and their staff to influence their decisions. Grassroots lobbying is sometime referred to as “indirect lobbying,” as opposed to “direct lobbying”...

Direct Democracy Provisions Found in Statutes

May 27, 2019 7:19 amMay 27, 2019 9:15 am

Here are some interesting provisions about the three forms of direct democracy in California that are found in state statutes (along with the relevant section): Initiatives and Referenda Division 9 deals with measures submitted to the voters and contains Sections...

The Do’s and (mostly) Don’ts of Legislative Branch Provisions

May 24, 2019 8:00 amMay 24, 2019 8:10 am

Here are some interesting provisions about the legislative branch found in state statutes (along with the relevant section): Article 1 deals with legislative compensation and is covered in Sections 8902 and 8903. When legislators are in Sacramento to attend a...

Comparing State and Federal Judiciaries

May 20, 2019 6:18 amMay 20, 2019 6:25 am

There are both federal and state judicial branches and separate court systems at both levels of government. The federal courts are established in Article III of the United States Constitution, while the state courts are established in Article VI of...

‘Gut-and-Amend Bills’ in the California Legislature

May 17, 2019 8:21 amMay 17, 2019 8:28 am

One of the controversial occurrences during the annual California Legislative Session is so-called “gut-and-amend bills.” According to the Legislative Counsel, these measures are defined as “when amendments to a bill remove the current contents in their entirety and replace them...