Globe Contributor Releases New Book on Direct Democracy in California

California Globe contributor Chris Micheli, an Adjunct Professor at McGeorge School of Law, just published his first casebook: “Cases and Materials on Direct Democracy in California.”

Micheli said when he published earlier books on the California Legislature and the legislative process, he decided to work on a book on the three forms of direct democracy found in this state.

After reading many cases interpreting the Constitution’s direct democracy provisions, Micheli began putting together this casebook. “After reviewing numerous materials on the initiative, referendum, and recall processes, there is not any specific law school casebook for the largest state in the union and one of the most prevalent users of direct democracy in the nation,” Micheli said.

In each of the three sections of the casebook, the sections begin with an overview of the relevant law, both constitutional and statutory, followed by an explanation of the process, and then look at data provided by the California Secretary of State. Each section then delves into the key court decisions. There is a myriad of court decisions in California addressing legal issues that have arisen over the more than one hundred years these forms of direct democracy have existed in this state.

Micheli explained that the court decisions used in this casebook were chosen because they help explain the relevant law and provide a helpful analysis of the legal issues the court faced. After each decision, as well as with several sections of the explanatory materials, there are notes and questions provided to stimulate further thought and discussion of key legal issues raised.

The casebook is published by Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company and can be purchased by following this link: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/cases-and-materials-direct-democracy-california