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McAuliffe begins to grant voting rights for convicted felons individually after court ruling
washingtontimes.com ^ | July 22, 2016 | Dave Boyer

Posted on 07/23/2016 9:52:36 AM PDT by PROCON

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Saturday he’s already begun restoring the voting rights of convicted felons one-by-one, after the state Supreme Court rescinded his executive action granting voting rights en masse to more than 200,000 people convicted of serious crimes.

“Last night I instructed my staff to comply with the court’s order and individually restore the rights of the more than 13,000 Virginians who had successfully registered to vote following my April 22nd executive order,” Mr. McAuliffe said in an email to supporters. “Soon they will have their rights back and will be able to have a voice in their society once and for all.”

Mr. McAuliffe, a Democrat and longtime ally of Hillary Clinton, said he’s also ordered his staff to start working through “the entire list of more than 200,000 Virginians whom we have identified as eligible to have their rights restored according to the criteria I have set.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: 2016swingstates; felons; felonvoters; mcauliffe; terrymcawful; va2016; vastatesc; virginia; voting; votingrights
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To: PROCON

Ah, okay. Well not okay but ya.


21 posted on 07/23/2016 10:03:01 AM PDT by SkyDancer ("They Say That Nobody's Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
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To: PROCON

Virginia state law prohibits felons from voting.

The Virginia Supreme Court noted that if the governor issues an exemption for felons as a class, he has in effect abrogated a valid law.

Exempting each felon individually does not change the effect of what McAuliffe is doing, which is to nullify a valid law.

It would be like if a governor disagreed with a valid law banning heroin, and so he pardoned everyone convicted of selling heroin. That is functionally equivalent to nullifying the law, which the governor may not do.


22 posted on 07/23/2016 10:03:45 AM PDT by Meet the New Boss
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To: PROCON

Criminals helping criminals...


23 posted on 07/23/2016 10:04:13 AM PDT by broken_arrow1 (I regret that I have but one life to give for my country - Nathan Hale "Patriot")
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To: Olog-hai

It was by only one court vote margin and the objections were that he had changed the law by promulgating a policy rather than by promulgating an action. That this margin could stand in the face of the new means of action seems dubious. Ok the law says the governor may do it for any case... he’s now doing it. If the law is to require oversight of a committee, as one possible fix, then it has to be legislated in. Texas did something similar to that for gubernatorial criminal pardons, but it had to go in by legislative process. Sauce for the goose had to be sauce for the gander too.


24 posted on 07/23/2016 10:05:45 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Olog-hai

Yes his state police and his attorney general will have him arrested??
.......Err.....no .....the felons flourish.


25 posted on 07/23/2016 10:06:12 AM PDT by Vaquero ( Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: jjotto

The previous Governor McDonnell had enacted a plan to automatically start restoring rights without having to petition for restoration.
Restoration of rights has always been a policy in Virgnia, it just has to be done on an individual basis.
McAwful stepped over the line when he tried to do a blanket restoration.


26 posted on 07/23/2016 10:06:55 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam , Know Peace)
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To: PROCON

“Individually” means he’s issuing pardons.


27 posted on 07/23/2016 10:07:16 AM PDT by fruser1
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To: Meet the New Boss

“Functional equivalent” as alleged here may or may not be viewed by courts as a basis of action. It may be that the political process, or an even more specific legislative process specifying what due diligence must be, is the only way to oust such a governor or prevent his actions.


28 posted on 07/23/2016 10:07:22 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Not if Cankles wins.


29 posted on 07/23/2016 10:08:25 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.)
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To: Hostage

One of the best blessings the founders of VA gave us is that governors cannot run for two consecutive terms.


30 posted on 07/23/2016 10:09:00 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam , Know Peace)
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To: jjotto

Do they get their Right to Bear Arms back too?


31 posted on 07/23/2016 10:09:05 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative (There is nothing Democratic about the Democrat Party. (Or the GOPe))
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To: PROCON

No fraud is too great for a Democrat when an election is at stake.


32 posted on 07/23/2016 10:09:57 AM PDT by Gritty ("Our most effective response to terror is compassion, it's unity and it's love" - A/G Loretta Lynch)
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To: PROCON

It seems like the only criteria for restoring voting rights is to register to vote - in effect, still a blanket pardon.

No review of individual circumstances of any sort seems to be involved.

In your face, judge.


33 posted on 07/23/2016 10:10:19 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: Lurkinanloomin

the only reason mccauliffe ran is for this..to help Hillary it ain’t about Virginia..


34 posted on 07/23/2016 10:12:43 AM PDT by ground_fog
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To: immadashell

Virginia Governors are “one and done”


35 posted on 07/23/2016 10:13:28 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam , Know Peace)
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To: napscoordinator

Oh yes he’s using his autopen .... this is what he said prior to the Virginia Supreme Court ruling:

“Lets assume hypothetically that the state Supreme Court knocks it down,” said McAuliffe. “The next day I will sit at my desk—probably with the assistance of my autopen—and I will sign 206,000 orders.”

“They will have their rights back that day,” he said. “This is much ado about nothing.”

McAuliffe: Supreme Court Can’t Stop Restoration of Felon’s Voting Rights
http://freebeacon.com/politics/mcauliffe-supreme-court-cant-stop-restoration-of-felons-voting-rights/


36 posted on 07/23/2016 10:13:30 AM PDT by Qiviut (In Islam you have to die for Allah. The God I worship died for me. [Franklin Graham])
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Depends on how those four Supreme Court justices view what he is doing and whether they are willing to order an injunction.

McAuliffe’s public statements may be admitted as evidence of his intent in what he is trying to accomplish in individually exempting all or most of the felons. If the four justices conclude that McAuliffe is trying to do indirectly what he was prohibited from doing directly, then it is likely they will enjoin him. And his public statements sound somewhat damaging on this.

One analytical approach would be to say that in order not to be an abrogation of valid law, exemption must be not only individually-based but exceptional. Under this analysis to exempt a majority of felons, even on an individual basis, would be to nullify legislative intent and would be beyond the power of a governor.


37 posted on 07/23/2016 10:13:46 AM PDT by Meet the New Boss
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To: Kickass Conservative

No.


38 posted on 07/23/2016 10:14:36 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam , Know Peace)
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To: Meet the New Boss

And yet do you want things read into Virginia law that are not there.


39 posted on 07/23/2016 10:15:22 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Kickass Conservative

Yes, with some exceptions, although there may be convoluted processes to go through. And the feds like to ignore the legalities and stonewall ex-felons RKBA.


40 posted on 07/23/2016 10:15:48 AM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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