In what may be the spread of the North Carolina plague, Vermont Public Radio reports on an attempt by outgoing governor Peter Shumlin (D) to appoint a new member of the Vermont Supreme Court – before the retiring member actually, ummm, vacates:
In a Friday ruling, the Vermont Supreme Court temporarily blocked Gov. Peter Shumlin from appointing a new justice to the court.
According to the order from the court, the temporary halt to Shumlin’s appointing power comes after a legal challenge from Republican Rep. Don Turner, the House minority leader.
Shumlin is attempting to fill the vacancy that will be left by Vermont Supreme Court Justice John Dooley, who is leaving the job. Critics, including Turner, say Governor-elect Phil Scott should fill the vacancy once he takes office in January.
The supreme court seat in question will not be vacant until Dooley’s official retirement in April. Since Scott will be governor in April, Turner challenged Shumlin’s legal authority to appoint a new judge to fill a vacancy that will not exist during Shumlin’s tenure as governor.
The governor’s successor is Phil Scott (R). It appears that stretching the bounds of credibility is becoming something of a political sport this season, following in the footsteps of the North Carolina GOP-dominated legislature’s attempt to strip certain powers from the incoming Democratic governor. It’s a sad commentary on the state of affairs these days – paranoia dominates both sides of the aisle.
