On January 4, a U.S. District Court ruled that five Michigan legislators must sit to have their depositions taken, in the lawsuit over whether the U.S. Constitution forbids Michigan from eliminating the straight-ticket device. Michigan State A. Philip Randolph Institute v Johnson, e.d., 2:16cv-11844.
The Michigan legislature repealed the straight-ticket device early in 2016. Some voters then sued, arguing that the bill violates the U.S. Constitution because it disproportionately injures African-American voters. The U.S. District Court forced the state to leave the device in place during the 2016 general election, but the case is not decided yet. The January 4, 2018 court order says the plaintiffs can require that five legislators who were instrumental in passing the bill must sit for depositions. They include the bill’s author, and the chairs of the Election Law Committees in each house, and the Leader of the State Senate. All five are Republicans. Here is the 16-page court order.
One more effort by the communist Donkeys to subvert/pervert/overthrow the USA Const.
— esp by illiterate Hacks who want *Donkey* illiterate votes — esp in marginal gerrymander areas.
Little wonder that the USA is in Civil W-A-R II mode since the Trump minority rule election in Nov 2016 —
the trend since the 1932 election in Great Depression I.
PR and AppV
This doesn’t sound legit. How can a court compel a legislator to answer questions about anything said during the course of legislative deliberations?
SCOTUS has totally screwed up the alleged *immunity* of legislators (Fed/State/Local) who enact UN-constitutional laws.
The infection/disease/ROT got spread into Fed/State/Local executive and judicial branches.
See the total mess in LAWLESS Dumb City – Trump vs Exec. Br vs Congress vs Courts.
The legislator speech/debate immunity stuff happened as part of the centuries of efforts to NOT have tyrant absolute monarchs in England after the [Civil] Wars of the Roses (between oligarch killer gangs) in the 1400s.
— ie in response to the monarch machinations of Henry 8, Eliz 1, James 1, Charles 1 (Civil War 1642-1649) and esp James 2 (Revolution 1688-1689) in the 1500s-1600s.
— while tyrant lawless monarch regimes were taking over in France, Spain, Austria, Russia, etc.
There is at least sometimes a difference between legislative immunity from prosecution and legislative immunity from having to testify.
Since all sorts of possible felonies — any gerrymander hack with brain cells will take the 5th [Amendment].