IN the SUPREME COURT, STATE of WYOMING KERRY and CLARA POWERS, on ) Behalf of Themselves and the Citizens of ) Wyoming, And
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05/17/2013 IN THE SUPREME COURT, STATE OF WYOMING KERRY and CLARA POWERS, on ) behalf of themselves and the citizens of ) Wyoming, and CINDY HILL, on behalf ) of herself and as the ) SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC ) INSTRUCTION, ) ) S-13-0052 Appellants, ) ) v. ) ) STATE OF WYOMING and ) MATTHEW H. MEAD, GOVERNOR, ) in his official capacity, ) ) Appellees. ) BRIEF OF APPELLANTS ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANTS ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES Angela C. Dougherty Gregory A. Phillips Wyo. Bar # 6-3274 Wyoming Attorney General Dougherty Law Office, P.C. Wyo. Bar # 5-2516 1623 Central Avenue Email: [email protected] P.O. Box 254 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003 Peter K. Michael Telephone: (307) 432-4006 Chief Deputy Attorney General Facsimile: (877) 352-8596 Wyo. Bar # 5-2309 Email: [email protected] 123 Capitol Avenue Cheyenne, WY 82002 Telephone: (307)777-7841 Facsimile: (307) 777-6869 Email: [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ................................................................................ iii-v I. STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES .................................................................... 1 II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE ....................................................................... 2 A. Nature of the Case ...................................................................................... 2 B. Course of Proceedings and Disposition Below .......................................... 3 C. Statement of the Facts ................................................................................ 5 III. STANDARD OF REVIEW ............................................................................. 6 IV. ARGUMENT ................................................................................................... 8 Background ............................................................................................... 8 Para Materia Review of Relevant Constitutional Provisions ................ 12 SENATE ENROLLED ACT 0001 VIOLATES WYOMING CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 7, SECTION 14. ............................................ 19 A. SEA0001 Violates The Plain and Unambiguous Language of Article 7, Section 14 of The Wyoming Constitution ..................... 19 SENATE ENROLLED ACT 0001 VIOLATES WYOMING CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 1, SECTIONS 1 AND 20. ............................. 31 A. SEA0001 Violates The Appellants’ Inalienable And Indefeasible Rights To Alter, Reform Or Abolish Their Government As They Deem Proper, By Infringing Upon The Electorate’s Vote, Depriving Appellants Of Their Right Of Free Speech, And Interfering With The Elective Franchise .............. 31 B. The Constitution Prohibits The Legislature And Governor From Reversing The Decision Of The People Who Created The Constitution, Agreed To Be Bound By It, And Elected A Superintendent Pursuant To The Constitution ................................. 38 i SENATE ENROLLED ACT 0001 VIOLATES WYOMING CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 2, SECTION 1. .............................................. 49 A. Separation of Powers ........................................................................... 49 B. The Washakie Case .............................................................................. 51 C. The Legislature Acted Outside of its Constitutional Authority .......... 52 D. Checks and Balances ........................................................................... 54 SENATE ENROLLED ACT 0001 VIOLATES WYOMING CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 3, SECTION 27. ............................................ 55 A. Special Laws And Uniform Operation Of General Laws .................. 55 V. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 59 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ................................................................................ 61 ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Anderson v. Superior Court, 11 Cal 4th 1152 (1995) ........................................................ 33 Attorney-General v. Squires (1859) 14 Cal 12 .................................................................. 33 Baessler v. Freier, 258 P.3d 720, 2011 WY 125 (Wyo. 2011) ......................................... 57 Brimmer v. Thompson, 521 P.2d 574 (Wyo.1974) ............................................................ 37 Cathcart v. Meyer, 2004 WY 49, 88 P.3d 1050 (Wyo. 2004) .......................... 7, 12, 38, 39 Dir. of Office of State Lands & Invs. v. Merbanco, Inc., 2003 WY 73, 70 P.3d 241 (Wyo. 2003) ......................................................................... 19 Geringer v. Bebout, 10 P.3d 514 (Wyo. 2000) .................................................................. 24 Jones v. State, 2007 WY 201, 173 P.3d 379 (Wyo. 2007) .................................................. 7 Maxfield v. State of Wyo., 2013 WY 14, 294 P.3d 895 (Wyo. 2013) ........................ passim Miller v. City of Laramie, 880 P.2d 594 (Wyo.1994) ......................................................... 7 Murphy v. State Canvassing Bd., 12 P.3d 677 (Wyo. 2000.) ............................................ 37 People v. Kelsey (1868) 34 Cal. 470 ................................................................................. 33 Renyolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 84 S.Ct. 1362, 12 L.Ed2d 506 (1964) ........................... 31 State ex. Rel. Richardson v. Henderson, 35 P. 517 (Wyo. 1894) ...................................... 50 State v. Campbell County Sch. Dist., 32 P.3d 325, 2001 WY 90 (Wyo. 2001) ................ 50 Tully v. Edgar, 171 Ill.2d 297 N.E.2d 43, Ill.Dec. 646, 109 Ed. Law Rep. 315 (1996) ........................................................................................ 33 Witzenburger v. State ex rel. Wyo. Comty. Dev. Aut., 575 P.2d 1100 (Wyo. 1978) ............................................................................................. 5 Washakie Sch. Dist. No. 1 v. Herschler, 606 P.2d 310 (1980) .................................... 45, 51 iii Statutes WYO. STAT. § 21-1-104 ..................................................................................................... 10 WYO. STAT. § 21-2-201 ........................................................................................... 8, 10, 54 WYO. STAT. § 21-2-202 ............................................................................................... 10, 54 Other Authorities 1917 Wyo. Session Laws, Ch. 120 ...................................................................................... 8 73 Am. Jur.2d Statutes § 4 (2001) ..................................................................................... 56 Black’s Law Dictionary (4th Edition, 1951) ......................................................... 22, 23, 43 Journal of Debates of the Constitutional Convention, State of Wyoming ......... 9, 22, 26, 27 The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1966) ..................................... 20 The Wyoming Constitutional Convention and Adoption of Wyoming’s Constitution, 1889, and the Aftermath, http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/robertshistory/wyoming_constitutional.htm. ................... 35 Constitutional Provisions Wyo. Const., art. 1, § 1 .................................................................................... 12, 38, 39, 53 Wyo. Const., art. 1, § 23 .............................................................................................. 13, 39 Wyo. Const., art. 2, § 1 ...................................................................................................... 49 Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 4 ................................................................................................ 15, 44 Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 7 .......................................................................................... 16, 44, 53 Wyo. Const., art. 3, § 27 ........................................................................................ 13, 40, 53 Wyo. Const., art. 5, § 2 ...................................................................................................... 28 Wyo. Const., art. 6, § 16 .............................................................................................. 15, 42 Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 1 .................................................................................... 15, 43, 52, 54 iv Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 6 ................................................................................................ 16, 44 Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 9 ................................................................................................ 16, 45 Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 11 ........................................................................................ 17, 46, 53 Wyo. Const., art. 7, § 14 ............................................................................................. passim Wyo. Const., art. 21, § 28 ...................................................................................... 18, 52, 54 v I. STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES (PRESENTED AS CERTIFIED QUESTIONS) I. Does Senate Enrolled Act 0001 violate Wyoming Constitution Article 7, Section 14? II. Does Senate Enrolled Act 0001 violate Wyoming Constitution Article 1, Section 1 and Section 20? III. Does Senate Enrolled Act 0001 violate Wyoming Constitution Article 2, Section 1? IV. Does Senate Enrolled Act 0001 violate Wyoming Constitution Article 3, Section 27? 1 II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE A. Nature of the Case In the 2010 General Election, Wyoming voters elected Appellant Cindy Hill to serve Wyoming as Appellees’ Superintendent of Public Instruction for a four year term in office. On January 25, 2013, the Wyoming Legislature passed