After weeks of hearings and appeals, the court case between Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Virginia Republicans has finally landed in the Virginia Supreme Court.
The trial involves the legality of giving 200,000 former felons the right to vote through executive order.
This past April, the governor issued an executive order saying former felons, regardless of their charge, and who had completed their prison term, probation and parole would automatically be given the right to vote again.
Prior to this order, former felons had to wait two years after which they could file an application to have their voting rights restored to them.
The Washington Post pointed out that this executive order will also allow a former felon to run for office, serve as a juror and become a notary public.
Virginia Republicans said that the state constitution does not allow for governors to restore voting rights to ex-felons en masse, but that this process of voting restoration must instead be done on an individual basis. They argue that McAuliffe is grossly overusing his ability to create executive orders.
The governor however, does not believe himself to be to be in the wrong, News 13 reports. After consulting with A.E. Dick Howard, one of the draftsmen of the 1971 refurbished state constitution, McAuliffe thinks himself to be on sound legal footing.
This executive order has also come at a tense time with the national election looming. Virginia Republicans believe that many of the former felons will vote for Clinton this coming November and that this is one of the governor’s reasons for restoring voting rights. McAuliffe is a longtime Clinton supporter, having raised $2 million with his wife for the Clinton campaign.
“The singular purpose of Terry McAuliffe’s governorship is to elect Hilary Clinton President of the United States,” House Speaker William J. Howell said, according to The Washington Post. “This office has always been a stepping stone to a job in Hilary Clinton’s cabinet.”
The hearing for the court case took place Tuesday and both plaintiff and defendant will await the verdict of the Virginia Supreme Court justices as they deliberate in the coming days.
