The Colorado State Constitution


Book Description

The Colorado State Constitution provides an outstanding constitutional and historical account of the state's governing charter. It begins with an overview of Colorado's constitutional history, and then provides an in-depth, section-by-section analysis of the entire constitution, detailing important changes that have been made since its drafting. This treatment, which includes a list of cases, index, and bibliography, makes this guide indispensable for students, scholars, and practitioners of the Colorado constitution. The second edition includes an updated history of the constitution that focuses on events and amendments that have transformed the state in recent years including population growth, background and interpretations of Colorado's complex and unique tax revolt, known as TABOR, the state's extensive provisions for direct democracy, the initiative, veto referendum, and recall of elected officials. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor Lawrence Friedman of New England Law School, Boson, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.




The Colorado State Constitution


Book Description

"In gathering the information needed to write this book, the authors came to appreciate several themes. First, the Colorado Constitution and case law offer a novel and refreshing perspectives on the history of the state. Most major social movements, crises, embarrassments and celebrations ended up in state courts, with a constitutional argument by at least one major participant. The courts' role was often decisive and occasionally miscast in traditional histories. Second, over long stretches of time the Colorado Supreme Court's performance was less than exemplary. The original three-judge court in the 1880s launched the judicial branch very well, and the modern court is professional and conscientious. During many other periods, the court was blatantly partisan and at times, well, just zany. The court's relationship to the legislature vacillated from too little deference, such as the court's pro-business and anti-labor stance during the 1890-1920 period or the court's strange interference with relief for the poor during the Depression, to too much deference, such as the court's blessing after 1905 of numerous taxing and debt schemes pushed by the legislature to subsidize a variety of private industries. The framers' rules for the structure and processes of government, however, have held up and continue to serve. Since the 1850s this beautiful spot of geography has been witness to a turbulent, tumultuous, occasionally violent boom-and-bust style of human society that continues. For residents it has been and is life in high, unpredictable winds"--




The Colorado State Constitution


Book Description

Almost a half-century has passed since the brief presidency of John F. Kennedy illuminated the American political scene. His presence is still felt today. He had a special magnetism- flair, aspirations to great deeds, and contagious confidence. And his tenure in the White House occurred in the midst of dramatic world events and personalities. After an initial honeymoon with historians, many of whom were seduced by the Camelot myth, in recent years Kennedy has been more carefully scrutinized, resulting in a wide range of assessments of his presidency and his life.







The Colorado Constitution


Book Description













The Constitution of the State of Colorado


Book Description

Text of Colorado state constitution interspersed with manuscript pages; notations believed to have been written by James Henry Brown, Denver (Colo.) first elected city attorney.




Colorado Politics and Policy


Book Description

Survey after survey reveals that many Coloradans believe that the U.S. government is too big, too wasteful, and too intrusive. Yet Colorado is arguably one of the most federally subsidized states in the union, with forests, national parks, military bases, and research laboratories benefiting from the federal government’s largesse. A concise history of Colorado’s constitution and central political institutions, Colorado Politics and Policy offers a probing analysis of the state’s political cultures. It shows how the state, in many ways a template of the deeply contrary politics of the nation, puts political power into the hands of an ever-more-polarized electorate increasingly inclined to put the concerns of government to the test of the citizen-initiative. Colorado Politics and Policy is the result of broad-gauged and sophisticated research which includes author interviews with citizens and officials across the state, three specially commissioned statewide public opinion surveys, and extensive interviews with governors, legislators, judges, lobbyists, interest group leaders, and leading political analysts. This fresh and engaging interpretation is essential reading for those who want to understand Colorado’s major election trends, chief public policy and budget challenges, and this distinctively purple state’s unique political history.