Kentucky Senate seats GOP candidate despite residency concerns

[Newsjock]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/01/07/national1525EST0630.DTL

MARK R. CHELLGREN
Associated Press Writer

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- The Republican candidate in a disputed election was sworn in Friday as the newest member of the Kentucky Senate, even though a judge ruled she did not meet the state's residency requirements. One GOP senator threatened to resign in protest.

Dana Seum Stephenson, 32, lived in Indiana from 1997 to 2000, but the Kentucky Constitution requires that senators live in the state for at least six years before an election.

Brushing aside such concerns, the Republican-dominated Senate swore in Stephenson and defeated along party lines a committee's recommendation that Democrat Virginia Woodward be declared the winner of the Louisville district.

... Democrats protested the decision to seat Stephenson. Democratic Senate floor leader Ed Worley called it "the greatest single act of pure, raw, ugly politics as I have ever seen take place in our Capitol."

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[Renew Deal]

1. Why can't this be settled by a judge?

It seems pretty cut and dry.

[Cats Against Frist]

2. The rule of law? What? That's for the reality-based community.

We're an empire now. We're history's actors.

[alfredo]

4. I just wrote my state senator, Ernesto Scorsone

and asked him if she did indeed commit fraud. I told him I would be willing to file a complaint.

Here's David Williams' mail form

http://lrc.ky.gov/Mailform_temp/williams.htm

And his home page

http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/sendistricts/s016/williams.htm

[alfredo]

3. Stephenson committed fraud when she filled out the

paperwork to run for the senate. We must file charges against her.

[tanyev]

5. Truth hurts.

Republican Sen. Bob Leeper, a member of the committee that recommended Woodward be declared the winner, proposed a special election to fill the seat. When Williams refused the request, Leeper said in a breaking voice that he had "tolerated a great deal up here" and threatened to resign. Leeper then left the Senate floor.

Maybe it's a good time for Leeper to do some soul searching about where the Republican party is headed?

[rjbrooks]

6. Sen Bob Leeper

jumped ship from the Democrat party about 4 years ago to become one of the upstanding repugs. Maybe now he is having second thoughts.

[radric]

7. Don't understand this at all..

"Senate President David Williams said he was confident the Senate had the power to determine its own membership. He said, for example, that the Senate could have a 23-year-old lawmaker, even though the constitution says senators must be at least 30."

This is pretty chilling if you ask me. Is he trying to say regardless of the law they can vote to seat anyone? By the same token wouldn't that also say that they could refuse to seat or boot a fairly elected person to the Senate?

[dkofos]

14. And I thought Tx was fucked up

[wicket]

8. Outrageous!!!!!

[baldingrockwarlord]

9. Democracy is dead

Why have laws or lawmakers when the lawmakers can't even follow the rule of law?

[NewInNewJ.]

10. David Williams

is the most arrogant,selfserving,asshole in Ky. He is hated by his hometown as well as anyone who knows him personally. I grew up with him and cannot stand to see, or read about him. It is always bad news from him. He needs bring down to earth. Wish there was someway to do it. I dispise him.

[struggle4progress]

11. kick

[alfredo]

12. I just got a letter from my state Senator.

He said Stephenson claimed she was unaware of the 6 year rule, and would not have run if she knew.

He went on and said the courts will decide this.

[ridgerunner]

13. That's not a a very valid excuse is it?

I've been told countless times that ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Kind of scary that we now have, maybe, a person that is unaware of the laws that they are supposed to uphold.

[alfredo]

15. That statement alone should

disqualify her.

[ridgerunner]

16. yeah, talk about opening a can of worms

If they allow her to get away with it think about what it will do do to our laws here in the commonwealth. We could all just go in front of the judge and claim that we didn't realize that we were violating a law and if we had known, we wouldn't have done it.

"Your Honor, I was unaware that it was illegal to import ten tons of cocaine."

"Well, why didn't you say so. Case dismissed."

[alfredo]

18. I guess that is OK

if you are a rich white Republican. The rest of us would not be so fortunate.

[jarab]

17. This seems to all stem from broad

language which states that the Senate determines the qualifications of its members - while the same document lists specific qualifications for state congresspersons (age, residency, etc). It simply can't be both ways. Or, can it?
I think Woodward will win on further appeal, even though that eventuality would be counter to the voters' whims last election day.
...O...

[TahitiNut]

19. "Brushing aside such concerns, ..."

"concerns" like the very laws they're entrusted to enact?
"concerns" like the Constitution?
"concerns" like the Geneva Convventions?
"concerns" like human rights?
"concerns" like justice?

That's the GOP ... our very own Fascist Party.