RBGG’s Gay Grunfeld and Marc Shinn-Krantz authored an opinion piece in the Daily Journal on March 10, 2022, Ending involuntary servitude in California.
According to the article: “It is time to end involuntary servitude in California. While the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude for some, it contains a loophole that permits both practices ‘as a punishment for crime.’ Many state constitutions contain similar clauses, including California’s, which prohibits ‘slavery’ and provides: ‘Involuntary servitude is prohibited except to punish crime.’ See Cal. Const., art I, § Section 6.
California’s Legislature is currently considering a measure, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 3 (‘ACA 3’), which would give voters the opportunity in November to amend California’s constitution to ban involuntary servitude without exception. The proposed constitutional language is as simple as it is moral: ‘Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited.’ In doing so, California would join at least three other states that recently closed their constitutional loopholes: Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah.
Given the history and implications of involuntary servitude, the Legislature should pass ACA 3.” Read the full article.