The Supreme Court of Virginia agreed today to expedite the legal challenge to Governor Terry McAuliffe’s executive order purporting to restore the voting rights of more than 206,000 convicted felons.
The Supreme Court will hear the case, brought by Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R-James City), and four other Virginia voters, at a special session on July 19, 2016.
“We are pleased the Supreme Court recognizes the urgency of our challenge to Governor McAuliffe’s unprecedented and unconstitutional expansion of executive power,” saidSpeaker Howell. “A plain reading of the Constitution, 240 years of Virginia history and precedent-setting Virginia Supreme Court cases make the case against the executive order overwhelming. We are confident the constitution and rule of law will prevail.”
“Governor McAuliffe’s unprecedented executive overreach left the legislative branch with no choice but to challenge his order in the most expeditious manner possible,” saidMajority Leader Norment. “Clearly, the Supreme Court understands the urgency of this, and I am confident the Court will ultimately find the order unconstitutional.”
A full copy of the court’s order on the motion to expedite can be found here.
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