Governor

Lawsuit Attempts to Enforce Balance on Judicial Nominations Panel

A group of Iowa House Democrats is waiting to hear what comes next in a lawsuit aimed at rolling back changes to the process for choosing Iowa Supreme Court justices. The panel, which provides the governor with a list of nominees for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, has traditionally included eight members chosen by lawyers and eight more appointed by the governor. “What has occurred …


Judge Grants Former Gov. Robert Bentley Immunity in Ray Lewis Lawsuit

A Montgomery County judge has thrown out claims against former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley that were filed by ex-bodyman and confidante Ray Lewis in an unlawful termination lawsuit. Circuit Judge Truman M. Hobbs ruled that Bentley is protected by state immunity because he was acting in his official capacity when Lewis claims he was forced to retire.



Tennessee Legislators to Pursue Lawsuit Blocking Refugee Resettlement

The election of Donald Trump as president may change United States policy on refugees but is no reason for Tennessee legislators to stop pushing a lawsuit aimed at blocking resettlement in Tennessee, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris said. Speaking to the Senate Republican Caucus last week, Norris said some have questioned whether the “Trump effect” makes the lawsuit unnecessary. “My response is full speed ahead,” said Norris, who earlier this year sponsored a resolution adopted by the Legislature that called on Attorney General Herbert Slatery to file a lawsuit against refugee resettlement in the state after President Obama announced plans to allow 10,000 Syrian war refugees into the county. Slatery declined to do so, saying such an effort would be “based upon untested, novel theories” of law. The Thomas Moore Law Firm, which regularly advocates in courts for conservative causes, has been named to act on Tennessee’s behalf in pursuing the lawsuit at no cost to the state. Norris and other Republican legislators pushing the lawsuit say the federal government has failed to properly consult with …


Iowa Supreme Court Throws Out AFSCME Lawsuit Against Governor Branstad

The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled Governor Branstad had the authority to close the state-run Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant last year. Court: The citizens of Iowa granted the governor item-veto power The court threw out a complaint by two dozen Democrats in the state legislature and the president of the union that represented many of the workers at the two facilities. …


Governor Drops Lawsuit to Streamline Legal Cases on LGBT Law

North Carolina’s governor is dropping a lawsuit defending a law limiting LGBT protections as he pursues similar arguments in a separate case. Gov. Pat McCrory’s lawyers filed notice Friday that they’re voluntarily dismissing the lawsuit filed in May in a Raleigh federal court.




Gov. Robert Bentley Seeks to Dismiss Lawsuit Filed by Spencer Collier

Attorneys for Gov. Robert Bentley filed a motion in court on Monday asking a judge to dismiss a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former ALEA Secretary Spencer Collier. Collier, the state’s top law enforcement officer who was fired by Bentley in March, filed his lawsuit against Bentley, Rebekah Caldwell Mason and others in April.


HRC & Equality NC Respond to Gov. McCrory’s Reckless Lawsuit

Today, the Human Rights Campaign and Equality NC issued the following statements in response to the news that Governor Pat McCrory has filed a lawsuit defending his deeply discriminatory HB2. “North Carolina’s HB2 law is blatantly unconstitutional and violates federal civil rights law,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The Department of Justice has already been clear that it violates the civil …