Virginia Supreme Court denies Republican effort to hold McAuliffe in contempt over felon voting
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Supreme Court of Virginia on Thursday rejected a Republican effort to have Gov. Terry McAuliffe held in contempt over his ongoing efforts to restore voting rights for felons.
In a unanimous one-page order, the Supreme Court said it would not force McAuliffe to return to court to prove that he is complying with the court's July 22 ruling that struck down the governor's first attempt to restore voting rights to more than 200,000 felons via executive order. The court also said it would not allow Republican General Assembly leaders to seek documents from the McAuliffe administration through a new discovery process.
The ruling brings to an end the legal fight that cast uncertainty over thousands of ex-offenders just weeks before early voting gets underway for the presidential election.
In a written statement, McAuliffe said he will "continue to move forward" with the revised process he adopted after the court ruling to grant political rights to would-be voters on an individual basis.
Read more: http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_397c5a9f-5695-521c-a791-fabae3e17812.html
BumRushDaShow
(127,313 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,085 posts)"Sit your ass down."
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Up the voting effort, beating Republicans at every level will bring compassion back to America.
bucolic_frolic
(42,676 posts)They're trying to suppress it for their own benefit, not yours
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)I just self deleted the thread that I started on this topic.
This is a very important issue. Felon disenfranchisement laws are one of the last real holdovers from the Jim Crow days
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)Here is the thinkprogress article on this issue https://thinkprogress.org/breaking-supreme-court-slaps-down-virginia-republicans-attempt-to-block-ex-felons-from-voting-5ab6b4f2b290#.1mbf5oiue
McAuliffe attempted to automatically restore the rights of all 200,000 former felons in the state with an executive order back in April bringing the state in line with nearly 40 others across the country that allow people to become full citizens again after serving their sentences.
But the states Republican leaders sued, claiming the governor had overstepped his legal authority. A narrow majority on the Virginia Supreme Court agreed, and the registrations of thousands of ex-offenders who had been hoping to vote for the first time in decades were put in jeopardy.
When McAuliffe attempted to get around the court order by signing each clemency petition individually, the Republican legislators sued him for contempt of court. Had the state Supreme Court accepted their arguments, thousands of ex-offenders in the state could have seen their voting rights re-appear and disappear twice in the span of just a few months.
These folks are back in our society, McAuliffe said at a forum in DC on Tuesday. They have already paid their debt to society. A judge and jury have determined that they are done. They are paying taxes and going to church, why do you possibly not want these folks to vote?
spooky3
(34,303 posts)ileus
(15,396 posts)Did they actually think this would go anywhere....LOL
NBachers
(17,007 posts)Republicans are aggressive, predatory, and boundless in their evil.
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)vinny9698
(1,016 posts)Teenage future Trump supporters. Their 50th anniversary is coming up at a local Trump rally. Make America Great Again means to them the right to pour sugar on minorities. A scene from the future movie The Deplorables.