That’s Gonna Leave A…Er, Mark
By Mitch Berg
Just when you think you’ll go your entire life without seeing a Minnesota judge take a stance against tyranny, this goes and happens?
A Ramsey County judge ruled Wednesday that Gov. Mark Dayton violated the Minnesota Constitution when he vetoed funding for the legislature earlier this year.
“The court concludes that the Governor’s vetoes violated the Separation of Powers clause of the Minnesota Constitution because they both nullified a branch of government and refashioned the line-item veto as a tool to secure the repeal or modification of policy legislation unrelated to the vetoed appropriation,” Judge John Guthmann wrote in his decision.
Dayton vetoed the funding for the State Senate and House at the end of May. He did so in an attempt to force Republican legislative leaders into a special session, where he hoped to see tax breaks and language barring illegal immigrants from getting driver’s licenses repealed. He had signed those provisions into law because a provision in the State Government Omnibus bill would have defunded the Minnesota Department of Revenue unless the Tax Bill was signed into law.
Please, Governor Flint Smith Dayton – I beg of you. Appeal. You have to.
July 20th, 2017 at 10:12 am
I was really hoping the judge would decide the dispute between two branches of government is a extra-Constitutional issue that cannot be resolved by the third branch. The Governor and the Speaker of the House are ordered to meet at noon next Wednesday on the Capital Lawn to settle it themselves. The Speaker, as Plaintiff in the lawsuit, issued the challenge so the Governor has the choice of weapons.
July 20th, 2017 at 11:38 am
If the challenge were required to be settled with a Jim Beam drinking contest the Gov would surely win, although he certainly wouldn’t realize he had.
July 20th, 2017 at 11:48 am
So Gov. Kombucha did an illegal move against the legislature so that illegal aliens could vote? At a certain point, we need to prosecute the guy for this nonsense.
July 21st, 2017 at 10:33 am
The Governor and the Speaker of the House are ordered to meet at noon next Wednesday on the Capital Lawn to settle it themselves. The Speaker, as Plaintiff in the lawsuit, issued the challenge so the Governor has the choice of weapons.
JD, I much would rather them meet without weapons, but in the squared circle. Former governor James Janosz could be the officiant, based on his previous experience in that industry.