Did he say they shouldn’t be prosecuted?
Never mind
And she gets her contract termination notice in three..two..one…
Forgive the length of this post. But I want to let everyone know of the shenanigans going on in the Kansas legislature.
Last year, the GOP-dominated Kansas legislature passed a bill that changed the way a replacement is appointed to some statewide offices, including a recently-vacated Senate seat. Previously, the governor named the replacement of his/her choosing. Now, under this new bill that became law when Governor Laura Kelly’s veto was overridden, the replacement must come from the same party as the previous office holder, and the replacement must be named from a list of three people chosen by the legislature. This replacement will serve until the next state-wide election of any Federal office, which will occur in November of any even-numbered year. At that time, a special election will take place to choose the Senator to finish the term.
While this is certainly a change from the previous method, it is not unprecedented, as at least seven other states have a similar system.
What makes it unique in Kansas, however, is a clause concerning the special election. If the office is vacated before May 1 of an even-numbered year, the special election will take place that November, as usual. But if the office is vacated after May 1 of an even-numbered year, the special election will not happen until two years later.
From the text of the bill, the phrasing is as follows:
If the vacancy occurs on or after May 1 in an even-numbered year, then such vacancy shall be filled by election at the election of representatives in congress held two years following the year in which such vacancy occurs.
This is not a huge deal, unless the Senate term is up for election that particular year.
And it could matter this year. Roger Marshall, junior Senator from Kansas and one of Trump’s chief asslickers in the Senate, might be facing a tough re-election battle this November. Although he still leads in the polls, his margin is slipping, and his popularity is suffering as well.
A rumor that is being floated around here is that RFK Jr will be asked to leave as HHS Secretary, and Marshall, who was a licensed physician, will be nominated to take his place. If that happens, he would resign his Senate seat and another Pubbie would be appointed take his place. Under the new law, that appointee wouldn’t face an election until 2028.
Which, of course, raises the question of the constitutionality of the new law. Marshall’s Senate term is up at the end of the year. I don’t think that Kansas can decide to extend the term just because the original elected official has resigned the seat. But that’s what the Kansas GOP will attempt to do, because they think they can get away with it.
Evil bastards.
Couldn’t Kelly simply not choose any replacement?
The new law states that the replacement must be named within 3 days after receiving the list. It would be interesting to find out what would happen if she would indeed refuse to pick anybody.
Kentucky has had similar shenanigans, taking the ability to name replacement senators from the governor (who just happens to be a Democrat) and giving it to the Republican-controlled legislature. I mention this because Mitch the Turtle is still out of action in hospital, and if he dies or otherwise triggers a replacement, there’s going to be a legal battle over who gets to name his seatfiller…
…unless they don’t announce his death until August 1, at which point it will be deemed too close to the election and the seat stays vacant. Watch this space.