Senior Associate Dean Amar Comments on Anti-Gay Initiative for Capital Public Radio
Vikram Amar, Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law, commented for Capital Public Radio station KXJZ on a Sacramento County judge's ruling against a California ballot proposal that would have required the killing of gays and lesbians.
Calling the initiative "patently unconstitutional," Attorney General Kamala Harris had filed an action for declaratory relief that would allow her to essentially ignore the proposal rather than take the actions necessary for it to advance to the signature-gathering phase. The judge's June 23 ruling granted her request.
"That doesn't mean that the Attorney General can make decisions on her own, but at least it shows that in the context of a ridiculous proposal, there is a way to avoid having the spectacle of signature gathering," Amar said.
Vikram Amar is a national authority in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for Justia.com, a leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law.