Thorne's Priorities as Attorney General
PURSUE TRUTH.
Thorne is a man to whom the truth is important. After more than forty years as an attorney, Thorne understands that our legal system cannot deliver justice if judges make their decisions based upon lies.
Yet it is an open secret that many people lie in our courts with no consequences because the courts do not punish those who commit perjury (lying after taking an oath to tell the truth). Thorne will enforce the laws against lying in our courts and punish those who commit perjury.
Thorne’s vision for The People of Colorado is give them a reason to once again believe their courts operate on the basis of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. As Attorney General, Thorne will pursue truth for The People.
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY.
More and more we see that few in law enforcement and the administration of criminal justice are willing to enforce the laws and it seems no one is held accountable for major crimes.
When The People see that their leaders have no respect for the laws the leaders have a duty to enforce, The People slowly lose respect for their own legal system. As a direct consequence, The People are demoralized, they lose the ability to know right from wrong, and they see no reason why they should obey the laws.
Thorne will investigate criminal allegations fairly and thoroughly so as to seek the truth and establish the facts. Then if the facts support a criminal charge, Thorne will prosecute those charges to the end that justice be done.
To do justice means the perpetrators of the crime(s) are required to account for the wrongs they have done, they receive punishment appropriate to the facts, and they pay money restitution to the victim(s) to repay the financial losses the victim(s) suffered from the actions of the perpetrator.
Thorne’s vision for The People of Colorado is give them a reason to once again believe that their legal system will require those who do wrong to make it right. As Attorney General, Thorne will demand accountability to The People.
DEFEND INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY.
As a life-long student of history and the American system of government, Thorne understands that The People thrive and our Nation prospers when individual liberty is respected and protected by all those in government – the Legislature which makes the laws, the Judiciary which interprets the laws, and the Governor who enforces the laws.
In the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution, The People of Colorado established the rules for their government officials to obey, but those rules are universally and arrogantly ignored by politicians and bureaucrats at all levels throughout Colorado government. They think they can do whatever they want without any recourse by The People. So as individual liberty suffers because of such government misconduct, The People suffer.
Thorne will defend individual liberty by requiring all those in Colorado government to obey the rules in the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution.
Thorne’s vision for The People of Colorado is give them a reason to once again believe their government officials will do their duty to protect and defend the individual rights and liberties and freedoms of The People. As Attorney General, Thorne will defend individual liberty for The People.
REQUIRE TRANSPARENCY.
Thorne believes that we The People are headed in the wrong direction because our leaders have turned a once proud and honorable Colorado government in the wrong direction. The reason we The People have been led so far and so fast in the wrong direction is that we have tolerated government officials who willfully violate the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution.
More and more we see Colorado government at every level becoming less open, less responsive, and less respectful – and that downward trend is accelerating at an alarming rate. As government officials and bureaucrats become more remote and insulated from The People they are supposed to serve, their disrespect and contempt for The People grows.
To many in Colorado, it now is clear that their government officials and bureaucrats pay no attention whatsoever to The People. The government officials and bureaucrats simply do whatever they want to do without any transparency or accountability or consequences. It is like a cancer that has exploded out of control, and it is ruining the trust of The People of Colorado in their government. Without real transparency there is no accountability. And when there is no accountability, government corruption runs rampant.
Thorne has no tolerance for those in government who abuse the power with which they have been entrusted by The People. Thorne will require transparency and accountability from every level of Colorado government to the maximum extent of the laws. And if Thorne uncovers corruption, then those who have exploited their position in government will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the laws. This is no minor commitment; but it is the only way to turn our State government back in the right direction.
Thorne’s vision for The People of Colorado is give them a reason to once again believe their government is open and forthcoming and honest and accountable to The People. As Attorney General, Thorne will require government transparency for The People.
PROTECT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
Constitutional rights are not given by the government to The People; The People established those rights for themselves in their U.S. Constitution when they expressed their consent to be governed in America under the Constitutional Republic system of government.
The U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution are the supreme laws in Colorado, and each and every person in Colorado government has a duty to obey those supreme laws above all other laws.
In other words, every person in Colorado government has no higher duty than to obey the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution, a duty to which all of their other duties are subordinate.
When Thorne is Attorney General, elected officials and bureaucrats in Colorado government who neglect or ignore that duty will be identified, removed from office, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Thorne will simply do what the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution requires of him: enforce the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution, protect and defend the Constitutional rights of The People, and require each and every person in Colorado government to do the same.Thorne’s vision for The People of Colorado is give them a reason to once again believe that protection of their Constitutional rights is the primary duty and daily mission of all those in Colorado government. As Attorney General, Thorne will defend the Constitutional rights of The People.
ENFORCE EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL.
One of the most important principles upon which the American justice system is based is “Equal justice under law”. That is not just a lofty ideal; it is essential that we require it in everyday reality if our legal system is to be regarded by The People as fundamentally fair to all concerned.
Thorne will enforce the laws uniformly and apply them fairly to all of The People from the lowest to the highest. No more two-tiered legal system where the law applies to some of us, but not to those at the top. And no more tolerance for government officials who commit crimes under color of law, then pretend they are above the criminal laws because of their position in government, no matter how high.
Thorne’s vision for The People of Colorado is give them a reason to once again believe that no one is above the law and that even the rich and powerful will be held to account for their crimes. As Attorney General, Thorne will enforce equal justice under law for all of The People.
