From the story: Oregon voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 that disqualified legislators with 10 or more unexcused absences during a legislative session from holding office in the subsequent term.
The GOP senators, fully one-third of the state Senate, engaged in a six-week walkout in 2023 to deny a quorum. Their argument for being exempt from the constitutional mandate was that it shouldn’t apply until … sometime later, trying to convince the justices that a literal but absurd interpretation that would allow this is what the voters really meant.
Worth noting is the amendment was put forth after previous GOP walkouts and was not a prophylactic.
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The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday barred 10 Republican state senators from seeking reelection after a record-long walkout from the legislature last year spurred by objections to a measure intended to protect abortion and gender-affirming health care.
The court’s decision has electoral consequences, effectively ending the reelection prospects of 10 Republican state lawmakers who represent one-third of the Oregon Senate.
Oregon Senate Republican Minority Leader Tim Knopp, who led the boycott, said in a statement: “We obviously disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Another plaintiff in the group, state Sen. Daniel Bonham ®, said in a statement: “Every legal mind I’ve heard from regardless of political leanings has affirmed that when there is only one interpretation for the plain language of the law, that is final.
The court decision comes ahead of a 35-day legislative session set for this month, with a bill aimed at the expansion of the state’s housing supply as key priority for Oregon Gov.
Kotek’s effort to pass a similar proposal last year met resistance from some Democrats in the state legislature, and it ultimately failed amid the Senate Republicans’ walkout, which halted legislative action in the chamber.
Saved 65% of original text.
That’s certainly one way to render ®.
Edit: that’s a Lemmy thing. The editable text is still R in parens.