Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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“Keeping Roush on the court is something I think is the right thing to do,” Sturtevant said in a brief telephone interview Saturday night.
“I got elected by the folks in my district to work with them, and that’s how I operate,” he said. “I was pretty clear about it on the campaign, and this is a pretty simple matter of following through on what I said I would do.”
Sturtevant said that before his swearing in on Wednesday, he indicated to fellow lawmakers that he did not support attempts to remove a sitting justice from the Supreme Court. The lobbying — by Senate leadership and by supporters of Roush in the legal community — intensified over the past few days.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate have refused to interview Roush for a full, 12-year term. Instead, they have put forth Alston — also an experienced and well-regarded judge. Alston, a former chief judge of the Prince William County Circuit Court, was appointed in 2009 to succeed Millette on the Court of Appeals.
Late Friday afternoon, GOP leaders sent notice of an 8 a.m. Monday hearing in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee to consider Alston’s nomination.
GOP leadership had hoped to bring Alston’s nomination to the floor on Tuesday, but without a vote of a majority of both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate, a judicial appointment cannot go forward.
Republicans hold a 21-19 majority in the 40-member Virginia Senate. The loss of just one Republican vote would result in a tie if all 19 Democrats oppose the appointment and Sturtevant — or any other GOP senator — joins them.
Without a majority, Alston’s appointment would fail. Still unclear is what would happen to Roush, whose interim appointment technically expires 30 days after the General Assembly convenes barring legislative action to grant her a full, 12-year term.
Leaders of the Senate Republican caucus could not be reached for comment Saturday night.
“Senator Sturtevant’s decision is frustrating, especially considering the otherwise unanimous Republican support for Judge Alston, but that’s for the Senate to address,” said Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford. “The House is not wavering in its support for Judge Alston, who is a highly qualified African-American jurist from Northern Virginia.
Sturtevant backs keeping Roush on Supreme Court
Somebody pat Sturtevant on the back. Politics should not be a part of it. At all. That's is nice to hear.
“I got elected by the folks in my district to work with them, and that’s how I operate,” he said. “I was pretty clear about it on the campaign, and this is a pretty simple matter of following through on what I said I would do.”
Sturtevant said that before his swearing in on Wednesday, he indicated to fellow lawmakers that he did not support attempts to remove a sitting justice from the Supreme Court. The lobbying — by Senate leadership and by supporters of Roush in the legal community — intensified over the past few days.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate have refused to interview Roush for a full, 12-year term. Instead, they have put forth Alston — also an experienced and well-regarded judge. Alston, a former chief judge of the Prince William County Circuit Court, was appointed in 2009 to succeed Millette on the Court of Appeals.
Late Friday afternoon, GOP leaders sent notice of an 8 a.m. Monday hearing in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee to consider Alston’s nomination.
GOP leadership had hoped to bring Alston’s nomination to the floor on Tuesday, but without a vote of a majority of both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate, a judicial appointment cannot go forward.
Republicans hold a 21-19 majority in the 40-member Virginia Senate. The loss of just one Republican vote would result in a tie if all 19 Democrats oppose the appointment and Sturtevant — or any other GOP senator — joins them.
Without a majority, Alston’s appointment would fail. Still unclear is what would happen to Roush, whose interim appointment technically expires 30 days after the General Assembly convenes barring legislative action to grant her a full, 12-year term.
Leaders of the Senate Republican caucus could not be reached for comment Saturday night.
“Senator Sturtevant’s decision is frustrating, especially considering the otherwise unanimous Republican support for Judge Alston, but that’s for the Senate to address,” said Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford. “The House is not wavering in its support for Judge Alston, who is a highly qualified African-American jurist from Northern Virginia.
Sturtevant backs keeping Roush on Supreme Court
Somebody pat Sturtevant on the back. Politics should not be a part of it. At all. That's is nice to hear.
