Governor McAuliffe statement on Supreme Court nomination

Governor Terry McAuliffe issued the following statement on the legislature’s failure to elect a justice to the Supreme Court of Virginia.

“I am shocked and saddened that Republican leaders denied a sitting Supreme Court Justice a hearing, even as she sat at her desk, across the street from today’s Joint Courts of Justice meeting, continuing to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is not the Virginia way to treat anyone, let alone an outstanding female jurist. Republicans have yet to raise a single concern about Justice Roush’s legal skills or her integrity. Indeed, they have repeatedly acknowledged that her qualifications are unmatched.

“Republican leaders ultimately were incapable of electing anyone, leaving the state’s highest court in a state of uncertainty. It is disgraceful that Republicans have turned a serious decision affecting Virginia’s entire judicial system into an embarrassing partisan circus. I call on lawmakers to return to Virginia’s time-honored traditions for electing judges. I ask that they walk across the street and invite Justice Roush to a new hearing, one that is open and fair, and gives this highly qualified judge the respect she is due.”