Grueskin a Jonah on the Holtzman ship

(News Release, June 14) Former Senate President John Andrews today called on Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman to fire attorney Mark Grueskin. Grueskin is leading the court fight against the petition on illegal immigration -- for which Holtzman was one of the first petition signers. Andrews' letter to Holtzman appears below.----------------------------------- Mr. Marc Holtzman Holtzman for Governor 2881 S. Broadway Englewood CO 80113

Dear Marc: I support the proposal to end tax-paid services for illegal aliens in Colorado, and you have said you do too. But I am concerned about the mixed signals you are sending on this vital issue.

By employing Mark Grueskin, architect of the outrageous Supreme Court decision to throw our petition off the ballot, as your attorney in current litigation about the August primary, you are consorting with the enemy as far as illegal immigration is concerned. Why?

Your earlier gesture of signing the Defend Colorado Now petition, and now your endorsement of Gov. Owens’ threat to call a special session if the court ruling is not reversed, are utterly inconsistent with relying on Mr. Grueskin’s legal representation.

I urge you to discharge Mark Grueskin and turn your case over to another lawyer who is not fatally compromised on the immigration issue. Your statements on immigration are not credible as long as he is your attorney. Pursuing the current litigation is certainly your right, but please stop validating someone who is no friend of secure borders.

Sincerely, John Andrews Former President, Colorado Senate Co-Chair, Defend Colorado Now

PS – Remember that Mr. Grueskin’s victory over our petition this week was based on a single-subject claim that he himself acknowledged in a 2004 case could not be made “in a principled manner.” Gov. Owens pointed this out in his special-session press conference. Surely your campaign doesn’t want an attorney who plays so loose with principle.

Defend Colorado Now campaign will continue

(Note by John Andrews) Multiple subjects can't be addressed in one initiated constitutional amendment or statute to come before Colorado voters, and on Monday, June 12, the state Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that the proposal called Defend Colorado Now -- ensuring tax-paid services go to legal residents only -- violates that requirement. So barring a reversal of the decision, the measure is dead for 2006. There is not time to start over with a narrower petition(assuming any such thing could be devised). As a proponent of sweeping judicial reform, I have my own personal thoughts about all this. But as co-chairman of the Defend Colorado Now campaign, I issued the following press statement Monday afternoon. A followup press statement, after Gov. Owens entered the fray on Tuesday, is found in comments below.

Today's decision by the Colorado Supreme Court against our ballot issue strains common sense and conflicts with prior rulings on the single-subject requirement. We will move for the court to reconsider, in hope of a more just decision next time.

This setback on a legal technicality cannot diminish the tremendous grassroots support for voters saying "enough" on the flood of illegal immigration in our state. Defend Colorado Now will continue full speed ahead with our petition campaign, already gathering signatures by the tens of thousands. Citizens want this issue on the November ballot.

Cutting off tax-paid services to illegal aliens, except in emergencies or when federally mandated, is obviously a single subject. Not only that, it is the single most urgent subject on Coloradans' mind in this election year. The will of the people won't be denied forever.

The full Supreme Court opinion is here. The early AP story from DenverPost.com is here. Trenchant analysis by Joshua Sharf, my associate on Backbone Radio, is here.