Ballot Measure 40 was an Oregon ballot measure in 1996. The measure brought sweeping reforms to Oregon's justice system, generally in an effort to promote victims' rights

Victims' Rights

-History:Victim movements in the U.S. grew in the 1970s. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan's Task Force on Victims of Crime released its Final Report. The report drew attention to the re-victimization of crime victims within the criminal justice system...

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Measure 40 passed with 58.8% of the vote, but was overturned by the Oregon Supreme Court

Oregon Supreme Court

The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...

 in 1998, on the grounds that it contained more than one amendment to the Oregon Constitution

Oregon Constitution

The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights. This contains most of the rights and privileges granted in the United States Bill of...

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Measure 40 case precedent has since been cited as the basis for overturning several voter-approved initiatives. Among these are legislative term limits in 2002 and Measure 3, the Oregon Property Protection Act of 2000.

Kevin Mannix

Kevin Mannix

Kevin Leese Mannix is a politician, business attorney, and former chairman of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Oregon.Mannix has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Democrat and, later, a Republican...

, the state legislator

Oregon Legislative Assembly

The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...

 behind Measure 40, shepherded many of its provisions through the Legislature as statutory enactments (in Senate Bill 936 of 1997) while Measure 40 was being considered in the courts, placing many of the constitutional provisions of Measure 40 into statutory law

Oregon Revised Statutes

The Oregon Revised Statutes is the codified body of statutory law governing the U.S. state of Oregon, as enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and occasionally by citizen initiative...

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Armatta v. Kitzhaber

The 1998 Oregon Supreme Court ruling Armatta v. Kitzhaber was a landmark decision for constitutional amendments. A similar decision in California, Jones, had recently upheld the "single subject rule," which essentially states that a single constitutional amendment measure cannot affect more than one subject in the Constitution.

But the Oregon decision went further, stating that a constitutional amendment cannot affect more than a single clause of the Constitution, even if multiple clauses affect the same subject. The decision has had a significant impact on the way initiative drafters have approached their work in the years since.

Subsequent related measures

Mannix subsequently brought seven more measures (Measures 69-75) to voters in 1999 via legislative referral, each originally part of Measure 40. All seven would have amended the Oregon Constitution

Oregon Constitution

The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights. This contains most of the rights and privileges granted in the United States Bill of...

. Four of the measures were approved by voters. Campaigns for these measures were primarily funded by conservative millionaires Loren Parks

Loren Parks

Loren Parks is a businessman from the U.S. state of Nevada. He previously lived in Oregon , and is the biggest political contributor in the history of that state. He has financed numerous ballot measure initiative petitions and campaigns since the mid-1990s...

and Mark Hemstreet.

Meas num	passed?	Yes	No	%	Ballot Title
69	YES	406393	292419	58.15	Grants Victims Constitutional Rights In Criminal Prosecutions, Juvenile Court Delinquency Proceedings
70	NO	289783	407429	41.56	Gives Public, Through Prosecutor, Right To Demand Jury Trial In Criminal Cases
71	YES	404404	292696	58.01	Limits Pretrial Release Of Accused Person To Protect Victims, Public
72	NO	316351	382685	45.26	Allows Murder Conviction By 11 To 1 Jury Verdict
73	NO	320160	369843	46.4	Limits Immunity From Criminal Prosecution Of Person Ordered To Testify About His Or Her Conduct
74	YES	368899	325078	53.16	Requires Terms Of Imprisonment Announced In Court Be Fully Served, With Exceptions
75	YES	399671	292445	57.75	Persons Convicted Of Certain Crimes Cannot Serve On Grand Juries, Criminal Trial Juries

External links

• Chief Petitioner Kevin Mannix on BallotPedia.org
• Online Voters' Guide entry for Measure 40, from the Oregon Secretary of State
• Secretary of State's page on 1999 Special Election, with links to information about Measures 69–75]