GOP to sue over governor’s ‘illegitimate’ executive order; does it have a good case?

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Republicans know a phony executive order when they see one — whether it comes from the White House or a governor’s mansion.

Virginia Republicans announced Monday that they plan to sue Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, for ignoring the legislature by signing an executive order restoring the voting rights of as many as 200,000 convicted felons.

Read that as 200,000 new Democrats.

GOP lawmakers argue that McAuliffe exceeded his authority under the state’s constitution by executing the order, which, they believe, is nothing more than a ploy to help his friend Hillary Clinton pick up Virginia’s swing state electoral college votes, according to The Associated Press.

“Gov. McAuliffe’s flagrant disregard for the Constitution of Virginia and the rule of law must not go unchecked,” Senate Republican Leader Thomas Norment said in a statement.

Norment added that it was the opinion of the governor’s previous attorneys general and his predecessors in office that the governor cannot issue blanket restorations of privileges.

The AP reported:

Republicans have hired Charles J. Cooper, a Washington, D.C., attorney known for defending California’s ban on gay marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. GOP leaders did not say when they will file the lawsuit. They said it would not be paid for using taxpayer dollars.

The pending legal fight highlights the important role Virginia will likely play in this year’s presidential contest. Clinton could benefit from a surge of new minority voters, who typically vote Democratic. Although even if all the 200,000 ex-felons signed up, they would represent less than 1 percent of total registered voters in the state.

 

Stretching credibility to its limits,, McAuliffe claimed that the executive order, signed in a rancorous presidential election year, was not politically motivated,

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Conservative-minded tweeps cheered the GOP on.

In addition to allowing every felon in the state to vote, the governor’s order allows them to run for public office, serve on a jury and become a notary public.

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