Bill Sizemore is an Oregon activist who has been engaged in fighting teachers' unions at the ballot for years. But he's been less than devoted to filing proper tax forms for the non-profit group he uses to wage initiative battles. The unions have fought him successfully in court. Because of his intrasigence, Sizemore has been barred by court order from pursuing initiatives, but he's found it impossible to stop. This week, he was sent to a jail for contempt of court (this is the fourth time he's been held in contempt).

His crime? Defying earlier court orders by using a Nevada charitable foundation he controls to pursue initiatives on the 2006 and 2008 ballots. He backed five measures on this year's ballot--all five lost.

Sizemore was released Tuesday after 24 hours when he signed state and federal tax forms for the foundation. But he was unrepetenant, arguing that he's a political prisoner. A more accurate description of Sizemore? He's an initiative addict. He doesn't need time in jail. He needs an intervention.

ANTI ABORTION BAN MAY BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL: South Dakota's attorney general suggests that if approved by voters, a November ballot initiative to ban abortion in almost all cases there could face a legal challenge. Such challenges are common, and often are successful. In California, nearly half of all inititiatves passed by voters since World War II have been invalidated at least in part by the courts. (Hat tip: ballotpedia).

DENVER COUNCIL DOESN'T WANT INITIATIVE REVIEW: In California and other initiative states, there is often talk of giving legislative bodies more of a role in reviewing initiatives before they go on the ballot. In Denver, however, the city council, which has such power, doesn't want the headache anymore. Perhaps this has something to do with the extraterrestial commission.

PROBLEMS FOR UTAH BAN ON LAND USE REFERENDA: Is Utah ban on land use referenda and initiatives constitutional? The state's attorney general thinks not.

ADDICTED TO INITIATIVES? An Oregon activist with a love of initiatives is found in contempt of court for using assets to pay for campaigns that a judge says should have gone to a fraud judgment.