A bill dubbed the “No Kings Act” died at the Colorado capitol yesterday, when state Sen. Dylan Roberts, of Frisco, joined one other Democrat and two Republicans in a split vote.
The bill, Senate Bill 176, would have let private citizens sue federal officials for violating civil rights. It was sponsored by a slate of Front Range Democrats.
“At its core, my concern is that the legislation, while well-intentioned, would create significant unintended consequences for our state that have nothing to do with ICE or federal actions,” Roberts writes Krystal 93. “By dramatically expanding liability and opening the door to broad litigation in state courts, the bill risked burdening taxpayers, overwhelming our legal system, and creating uncertainty for public servants at every level—without a clear or workable framework for implementation.
Roberts gave his justification after a divisive 4-3 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The other opposing Democrat, Sen. Lindsey Daugherty, of Arvada, said, “I do think this would increase litigation and have a chilling effect on the independent decision-making that public officials should have.”
Denver Post reports this is one of two bills inspired by recent immigration crackdowns. Proponents believe citizens have very few avenues to hold federal officials accountable in court, instead relying on attorneys general to sue other branches of the government.
Supporting this bill were more than 160 former Department of Justice attorneys, the Post reports. They wrote the Judiciary Committee to say it would not put local officials in harm’s way.
But, according to opponents, that is exactly why this bill needed to be killed. Local attorneys general and law enforcement feared they would be inundated with lawsuits.
The Post reports this is the latest bill successfully defeated with help from law enforcement lobbyists. Failing last week was a bill to regulate automated license-plate readers, including Flock cameras, and another to limit how much personal data a government department can buy and access.
Preview image via @DylanForColorado on FB.