Pelosi Welcomes Fed Judge's Ruling On House Proxy Voting System During Virus; GOP Lawsuit Dismissed
'Pelosi welcomes judge's decision against Republicans in proxy voting lawsuit.' Laura Clawson, Daily Kos, Aug. 7, 2020.
House Republicans cant sue to block the proxy voting system adopted by a full vote of the House (over unanimous Republican opposition) to keep members safe during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge ruled Friday. Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the suit, writing that the House unquestionably has the authority, under the Constitution, to determine the rules of its proceedings.
Remote voting by proxy is fully consistent with the Constitution and more than a century of legal precedent, including Supreme Court cases, that make clear that the House can determine its own rules, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. The nation is in the middle of a dangerous pandemic, and the House of Representatives must continue to work. The proxy voting rules allow a lawmaker to stay home and have a colleague cast their vote in person. That means members of Congress who are immunocompromised or otherwise at risk can reduce the dangers to themselves while continuing to do their jobs.
This is not exactly the Wild West. As House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer explained at the time the House was preparing to pass the plan: This is going to be a very limited, direct instruction from the person who's giving the proxy to the person who's holding the proxy and will counsel the proxy, specific instructions of how to vote on each and every issue.
The dismissal of the House G.O.P. lawsuit is welcome news and hopefully the end of this sad Republican effort to obstruct the House from meeting the needs of the American people during the coronavirus crisis, Pelosi said, but Republicans plan to appeal.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/7/1967418/-Pelosi-welcomes-judge-s-decision-against-Republicans-in-proxy-voting-lawsuit