Week 6 DQ 1&2 - Discussion PDF

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Running head: WEEK 6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Week 6: Discussion Questions Student’s Name Institution Date

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WEEK 6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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Week 6: Discussion Questions DQ 1: Discuss the impact of the Progressive movement on the creation of the Arizona Constitution, including the declaration of rights, ballot initiatives, and recall of judges. Defend your position with examples from this week’s resources or other readings. The Arizona Constitution was Framed in 1910 under the labor-friendly democrats among them George W. P. Hunt who was also the constitutional convention’s president ("Centennial," 2012). The constitution was highly progressive and Hunt declared that it was an embodiment of popular government. Additionally, it is possible that the influence of the Progressive movement made every citizen equal in the eyes of the law. This movement was advocating good governance and its ideas influenced the writing of the constitution. The progressive era was full of people advocating for issues such as women suffrage, senators being directly elected by the citizens, recalling elected officials, initiative and referendum among other issues that were concerned with good governance (Costly, n.d.). People like Hunt, the first governor of Arizona, agitated for better political systems by seeking to reform the existing ones. In the constitution, the declaration of rights protects the victim’s right to justice and due process. This ensures that a victim of crime is treated with fairness without intimidation, harassment, or abuse ("Constitution document," 2009). This can be traced from the Progressive movement and their efforts to ensure that all citizens were treated equally. Arizona has a direct initiative, which is a process where citizens can bypass the state legislature and place proposed statutes and amendments to the constitution on the ballot. In such a case, proposals that qualify go directly to the ballot ("Constitution document," 2009). This would also allow the voters to petition, demand a popular vote on new laws passed by the state legislature, and adopt their own laws. Lastly, the recall process gives the citizens the opportunity to remove, from office, and

WEEK 6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS replace public officials prior to the expiration of their terms ("Centennial," 2012). For instance, in the State of Arizona there exists a right to recall elected officials, including judges. DQ2: Compare and contrast the U.S. Constitution and the Arizona Constitution. Discuss three findings that account for the significant differences in length. Include at least one source to support your answer. The U.S. Constitution and the Arizona Constitution differ, first, because the U.S. Constitution was written for the whole United States of America while that of Arizona is only applicable within the state’s borders. The Arizona constitution is more detailed than the federal constitution. This results in differences in length where the state constitution becomes longer than the federal one. For example, the Arizona constitution is 40,000 words while that of the U.S is only 8,000 words (Anagnost, 2009). Another example where such a difference in terms of detail is observed is in the bill of rights. Both constitutions address how they protect the citizens. For instance, the bill of rights is more detailed in the Arizona constitution than in the federal constitution. In the Arizona constitution, the victim’s bill of rights points out in detail how a victim of a crime has rights and should be treated fairly and equally ("Constitution document," 2009). In comparison with the due process clause and liberty clause under the Fourteenth Amendment, both constitutions protect the right of individuals in terms of equal protection in terms of freedom of speech and religion, against self-incrimination, search and seizure, and the right of privacy (Anagnost, 2009). The only difference arises in wording, where the words used in the Arizona constitution Article 2, section 8 indicate that no person should “be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without the authority of law” (Arizona State Legislature, 2019). The hierarchy of powers in both constitutions is similar with each government being

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WEEK 6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS divided into three separate groups each awarded its own powers and limited from interfering with each other.

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WEEK 6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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Anagnost, G. T. (2009, March). Sources, structure & interpretive cases [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.myazbar.org/AZAttorney/PDF_Articles/0309constitution.pdf Arizona State Legislature. (2019). Arizona state constitution. Retrieved from https://www.azleg.gov/constitution/?article=2 Centennial: Arizona's constitution and its progressive roots. (2012, February 14). Retrieved from https://asunow.asu.edu/content/centennial-arizonas-constitution-and-its-progressive-roots Constitution document [PDF]. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.azleg.gov/const/arizona_constitution.pdf Costly, A. (n.d.). The progressives. Retrieved from https://www.crf-usa.org/election-central/theprogressives.html...