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Legislative Immunity

Robert Wechsler
The Nevada legislative immunity appellate briefs have been filed, and they are worth reading for those interested in the intersection between government ethics enforcement and legislative immunity, an intersection where, in the last year, there have been a few collisions harmful to the cause of government ethics. Although this case involves a state legislator, it is in some ways applicable to local government legislators.

Robert Wechsler
I have treated the legislative immunity litigation in Rhode Island as the least relevant to other states and to local governments, because the ethics program was set up pursuant to a special constitutional convention. But an amicus brief filed this week by Common Cause of RI and the League of Women Voters of RI made me realize that a constitutional convention or, at the local level, a charter revision...
Robert Wechsler
Two months ago, I wrote a blog entry about the en masse resignation of the Jackson County (MO) ethics commission, and said that this was a sign that things were seriously wrong in that county. Little did I know.

Robert Wechsler
On the legislative immunity front, according to an article in the Providence Journal, a date has been set for the Rhode Island Supreme Court to hear the appeal by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission of the decision upholding the old constitutional legislative immunity clause against a more recent...
Robert Wechsler
Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi will be resigning his house seat tomorrow, according to an article in today's Boston Globe. DiMasi is currently being investigated by the Massachusetts Ethics Commission, and he has raised...
Robert Wechsler
Rhode Island - Legislative Immunity
According to yesterday's Providence Journal, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from the court decision supporting the former state senate president's claim of legislative immunity against the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, which equally has jurisdiction...

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