Table of Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface to the First Edition xi
Preface to the Second Edition xv
1 The Arizona Constitution 1
The Importance of State Constitutions 1
The Hierarchy of Laws 3
The Many Sources of Arizona Law 3
Resolving Conflicts between Laws 4
Amending the Arizona Constitution 7
Online Resources 10
2 Origins of the Arizona Constitution 11
Arizona's First Governments 11
The Pre-territorial Period 11
The Territorial Period: 1863 to 1912 17
The Push for Statehood 20
Federal Opposition 20
The Enabling Act of 1910 22
The Framers of the Arizona Constitution 25
The Constitution of 1910 28
The Taft Veto and Its Aftermath 31
Online Resources 34
3 The Legislative Branch 35
Structure of the Legislature 35
Legislative Elections 36
Arizona's Citizen Legislature 44
Organization of the Legislature 52
Responsibilities of the Legislature 55
The Lawmaking Process 55
Fiscal Powers 68
Government Oversight Powers 75
Other Legislative Powers 78
Online Resources 79
4 Direct Democracy 80
The Theory of Direct Democracy 80
How the Procedures Work 82
The Initiative 82
The Referendum 90
Recall 100
Online Resources 103
5 The Executive Branch 104
Executive-Branch Structure 104
A "Plural" Executive Branch 104
Elected Officials 109
The Governor's Powers 117
Administrative Powers 117
Lawmaking Powers 121
Judicial Powers 125
Informal Powers 128
Other Elected Officials 128
The Secretary of State 129
The Attorney General 130
The State Treasurer 131
The Superintendent of Public Instruction 131
The State Mine Inspector 132
Arizona Corporation Commissioners 132
Online Resources 134
6 The Judicial Branch 135
The Power of the Judicial Branch 135
How Judges Make Law and Public Policy 136
Judicial Review 138
The Court System 140
Arizona's Major Courts 140
The Relationship between State and Federal Courts 145
How Judges Are Chosen, Retained, and Removed 146
Judicial Selection and Retention before Merit Selection 147
Removing Judges 152
Judicial Procedures 153
A Typical Felony Case 153
A Typical Tort Case 159
Online Resources 163
7 Local Government 164
Why We Have Local Governments 165
Counties 165
What Counties Do 168
How Counties Are Governed 170
The Problem of County Governance 171
Cities and Towns 175
What Cities and Towns Do 176
How Cities and Towns Are Governed 177
District Governments 184
School Districts 185
Community College Districts 190
Special Taxing Districts 190
Online Resources 192
Appendix: Taft's Veto of Arizona Statehood 193
Glossary 201
Notes 211
Figure Credits 261
Index 263
