Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) was critical of a judge's decision about absentee ballot deadlines. | Facebook
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) was critical of a judge's decision about absentee ballot deadlines. | Facebook
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) objected to a judge's ruling about when absentee ballots can be returned for the 2020 elections.
Republicans and Democratic lawmakers have been at odds over absentee voting rules, despite initially being approved in the General Assembly. However, legal challenges from outside organizations have resulted in various rulings from the courts. The latest ruling came from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
"It's incredibly frustrating to see a judge invalidate a bipartisan compromise supported by a supermajority of elected legislators after weeks of negotiations," Berger said in an Oct. 21 statement on his website. "According to the dissent, we actually won our appeal until one judge on the panel pursued a procedurally suspect scheme to overturn our victory before it could become public. The veteran judges who dissented are right to question whether the court undermines its legitimacy with such antics."
A dissenting judge initiated an en banc vote before the panel was able to circulate its views to the entire court, according to Berger's website.
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