“The governor has sent her message,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, after word leaked that Spanberger plans to veto the collective bargaining and class-action lawsuit bills. “Now, the question is how loud that message is going to be. Maybe it’s a preview of coming attractions, or this message will be sufficient.”
While the emergency appeal for stay remained pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, some experts who spoke with Virginia Lawyers Weekly believed time was running out for the new maps to be implemented by the 2026 midterms. “My guess is the [U.S.] Supreme Court would not have any interest in adjudicating,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “It’s not a particularly favorable time, more generally, for Democratic initiatives before the current Supreme Court, and that’s above and beyond the issue of state constitutional interpretation.”
“The decision is going to be made by the U.S. Supreme Court about whether or not they are going to be new lines in Virginia,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, said, “The idea of mandatory retirement in your 50s for a judge seems ridiculous. “Democrats wisely abandoned this idea almost immediately,” Farnsworth added. “That would strike most people as pretty unreasonable, and Democrats would pay a high price if they tried to employ this approach.”
“It does seem that both the Iranians and the Americans are convinced that time is on their side,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “Both sides are confident the other side will back down first.”
“This is very bad news for Democrats and good news for Republicans,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
