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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The year 2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the |
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signing of the Magna Carta, one of the foundational documents of our |
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system of government, law, and jurisprudence; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early years of the 13th century, the barons of |
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England rose up in rebellion against their monarch, King John; they |
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objected to his excessive taxation, punitive fines, and |
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manipulation of the legal system, and they forced the king to |
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negotiate with them at Runnymede, along the River Thames in |
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southern England; and |
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WHEREAS, On June 15, 1215, King John and the barons agreed |
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upon the Magna Carta, or "Great Charter"; drafted in Latin, this |
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remarkable document addressed the grievances of the barons and put |
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limits on the executive power of the king, initiating a tradition of |
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individual liberty and rule of law that has since echoed around the |
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globe; and |
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WHEREAS, The Magna Carta strongly influenced the |
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constitutions of both the United States and Texas; it was relied |
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upon by the drafters of the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of |
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Texas, and it is one of the sources for the Texas Bill of Rights; in |
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the early 20th century, the Texas Supreme Court declared that "all |
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grants of power are to be interpreted in the light of the maxims of |
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Magna Carta"; and |
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WHEREAS, Among the document's most famous and influential |
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provisions is Clause 39, which declares that no one shall be |
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imprisoned or stripped of his rights, "except by the lawful |
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judgment of his equals or by the law of the land"; from this clause |
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derives an individual's right to due process of law and trial by |
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jury, as well as the concept of habeas corpus, which protects |
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citizens against illegal imprisonment; and |
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WHEREAS, Also influential is Clause 40, which states that "To |
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no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice"; this |
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elegant formulation is the basis of the "open courts" provision in |
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the Texas Constitution, which guarantees that all litigants have |
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the opportunity to redress their grievances and receive their day |
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in court; and |
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WHEREAS, On a summer's day eight centuries ago, in a field by |
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the bank of the Thames, the English people lit a flame of liberty |
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that continues to burn brightly in the Lone Star State, ensuring |
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that all Texans are guaranteed their fundamental rights to justice |
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and fair treatment under the law; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Magna |
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Carta. |
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Price |
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Anderson of Dallas |
Hernandez |
Phelan |
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Anderson of McLennan |
Herrero |
Phillips |
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Bonnen of Brazoria |
Johnson |
Rinaldi |
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Bonnen of Galveston |
Kacal |
Rodriguez of Bexar |
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Burkett |
Keffer |
Rodriguez of Travis |
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Burrows |
King of Hemphill |
Rose |
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Button |
King of Parker |
Sanford |
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Canales |
King of Taylor |
Schaefer |
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Capriglione |
King of Uvalde |
Schofield |
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Craddick |
Landgraf |
Simmons |
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Davis of Dallas |
Lozano |
Springer |
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Davis of Harris |
Lucio III |
Stephenson |
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Deshotel |
Márquez |
Stickland |
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Dukes |
Martinez |
Thompson of Brazoria |
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Dutton |
Martinez Fischer |
Thompson of Harris |
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Elkins |
McClendon |
Tinderholt |
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Faircloth |
Metcalf |
Turner of Collin |
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Fallon |
Meyer |
Turner of Harris |
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Farias |
Miles |
Turner of Tarrant |
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Farney |
Miller of Comal |
VanDeaver |
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Farrar |
Miller of Fort Bend |
Villalba |
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Frank |
Morrison |
White of Bell |
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Frullo |
Muñoz, Jr. |
White of Tyler |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2402 was adopted by the House on May 7, |
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2015, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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