Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Separation Of Powers

Kentucky moved to rein in executive power: Should Colorado do the same?
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, National

Kentucky moved to rein in executive power: Should Colorado do the same?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project An intriguing idea out of Kentucky... I usually stick to Colorado issues, but this idea out of the recent Kentucky legislative session struck me as worth sharing. Since I live in Blue Colorado, the idea of Republicans having a supermajority (and will enough) to push their legislative priorities through, including “tearing through” a series of vetoes by the governor caught my eye. Per the article linked first below, this is the case in Kentucky. The Republican-supermajority legislature there recently overrode a whole lot of Governor Beshear’s vetoes. If you’re interested in Kentucky politics, you can read up on the list, but the one that I want to focus on is shown in screenshot 1 from that article. ...
Is every government employee a cop now? Supreme Court case tests federal power
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Is every government employee a cop now? Supreme Court case tests federal power

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com I don’t know anyone else who tracks the number of federal cops, but the watchdog group Open the Books occasionally reports on the burgeoning number of federal agencies with law enforcement divisions. The latest report, “The Militarization of Federal Bureaucracy,” detailed the astonishing scope of federal police power. There are over 200,000 federal officers with guns, badges, and arresting authority, in a whopping 103 different federal agencies. The federal government has more law enforcement officers than America’s 25 largest cities combined. Those 103 federal agencies – half of which are not primarily law enforcement – spent $3.7 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment between 2006 and 2023. The FBI and ICE have always...
Lawmakers Move To Level Playing Field Between Lobbyists And State Agencies
Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

Lawmakers Move To Level Playing Field Between Lobbyists And State Agencies

By Rae Solomon | Colorado Public Radio Governor Jared Polis is strongly pushing back against a proposal that would treat legislative staff in his administration like any other lobbyist.  The primary job of those workers, called legislative liaisons, is to try to sway lawmakers and change legislation. They’re essentially lobbyists for the state government and the Polis administration, but they aren’t required to follow the same disclosure rules that govern most lobbyists.  A bipartisan bill moving through the statehouse would change that, a measure that appeared to ruffle feathers within Governor Jared Polis’s administration. “Staff members in the Governor’s office are not registered lobbyists, and it would be absurd to have them treated the same way,” ...
If regulators make the rules, what is Congress doing?
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

If regulators make the rules, what is Congress doing?

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com An interesting case in Tennessee focuses on Congress delegating its legislative power to others – for decades. Not just to executive branch agencies, but in some situations to anyone at all. In Tennessee Riverkeeper v. City of Luttrell, an environmental group from another state (Alabama) sued the tiny town of Lutrell, population 1,000, over its wastewater treatment facility. Neither the federal EPA nor state environmental regulators had any problem with Lutrell. But in the Clean Water Act of 1972, Congress explicitly authorized “citizen suits,” whereby anyone can file suit to enforce the law. Like legalized vigilantes. Lutrell, the boyhood home of Chet Atkins, fought back, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Congress h...
Judicial outcomes are shaped long before cases reach the courtroom
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Judicial outcomes are shaped long before cases reach the courtroom

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project A leopard doesn’t change its spots, Polis’ judicial board stuffing shows he doesn’t either. I thought a follow up on an older Sun article (see the first link below) would be in order. Let’s go back before going forward. The 2023 Sun article details how Polis has stuffed judicial appointing boards with Democrats and Unaffiliateds that (in a startling coincidence) donate to Democrats. I wanted to share an update on the Sun’s numbers from 2023, now that we’ve had about 2 1/2 years more of Polis under our belts. I also wanted to look beyond simply the State Supreme Court nominating commission that the Sun examined. The second link below is to the state’s website for Judicial Nominating C...
The Trump engine fires on all cylinders while Congress idles
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

The Trump engine fires on all cylinders while Congress idles

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker President Donald Trump has been back in office for almost a year -- roughly 315 days -- and has governed with the urgency of a turnaround CEO. He hit the ground running, signing executive orders immediately after inauguration and maintaining a pace unmatched in modern politics. But what becomes of all this action? Executive orders can be reversed the moment a new president arrives unless Congress codifies them into law. That’s the key difference between temporary executive action and lasting legislative reform. According to Ballotpedia, “As of November 25, 2025, President Donald Trump had signed 217 executive orders, 54 memoranda, and 110 proclamations in his second presidential term, which began on January 20, 2025.” Yet...
Congress uses little-known law to roll back Biden-era BLM public lands lockup
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National

Congress uses little-known law to roll back Biden-era BLM public lands lockup

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Last week, the Senate passed three Congressional Review Act resolutions overturning BLM resource management plans. What would have been called an earth-shattering precedent not so long ago was this time hardly noticed except by those who closely follow Interior and energy issues. The Biden-era resource management plans were designed to lock up millions of acres of public lands from the “multiple uses” required by law. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) was part of a small business package signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It provided a tool Congress sometimes uses to overturn federal regulatory agency actions. It requires agencies to report any new rules to Congress and provides special procedures under which Congress can...
EVERY Day In America Is ‘No Kings Day’—READ the U.S. Constitution
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

EVERY Day In America Is ‘No Kings Day’—READ the U.S. Constitution

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Mark Twain may or may not have said it, but whoever did certainly had a valid point. Today in 2025, many people seem to know a lot that just ain’t so. Over the weekend, thousands of people gathered in cities across the U.S. for a series of “No Kings” rallies and protests. The NO KINGS website lists many partner organizations including marxists, socialists, communists, anti-Americans, Democrats, progressives, radical environmentalists, abortionists, anarchists and many others that oppose the lawful Constitutional authority and order of our Republics—some of whom advocate rebellion, insurrection, violence and the overthrow of...
Hancock: The Constitution isn’t broken—it’s working as designed
Substack, Approved, Commentary, National

Hancock: The Constitution isn’t broken—it’s working as designed

By Michael A. Hancock | Commentary, Substack When the Supreme Court ruled on Friday to restrict the use of nationwide injunctions—limiting the power of lower federal courts to block federal policies across all 50 states—the headlines screamed “judicial power grab.” Civil rights groups warned the ruling is a “crisis for civil liberties”, while pundits cautioned that it is another step in America’s ongoing executive aggrandizement. The reaction was loud, dire, and—to anyone who understands the Constitution—deeply misleading. Despite the shrieking headlines and partisan outrage, what we’re witnessing isn’t a constitutional failure. It’s a constitutional function. The system is not broken. It’s working. Slowly, awkwardly, and often frustratingly—but working. This deliberate slownes...
President Trump scores major SCOTUS win: nationwide injunctions limited in birthright battle
Daily Wire, Approved, National

President Trump scores major SCOTUS win: nationwide injunctions limited in birthright battle

By Mairead Elordi | Daily Wire Lower courts have blocked Trump's executive orders nationwide. The Supreme Court handed down an opinion on Friday in a case regarding President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, ruling that lower courts do not have the unilateral authority to block Trump’s agenda. The justices ruled 6-3 along ideological lines, allowing Trump to try to end birthright citizenship in some parts of the country while legal challenges against his order proceed in others. The ruling did not address the question of birthright citizenship itself, which is the practice of granting automatic citizenship rights for babies born on United States soil, regardless of their parents’ citizenship status. Previously, lower courts in Maryland, Mas...

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