“The former governor’s best legal prospects were probably at the appeals court level, where a variety of judges have an opportunity to weigh in on the original decision,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “The Supreme Court is most likely to get involved in a case where there is some disagreement, either among the judges or among different federal courts. Of course that’s not the case here.”
The ongoing spectacle has harmed the state’s reputation of clean governance, commonly referred to as the Virginia Way, Farnsworth said.
“Virginia had a reputation for being relatively clean in its politics and that reputation is no more,” Farnsworth said. “Virginia is not as corrupt as Illinois, but it’s not in the top ranks of reputations for cleanliness.”
