Virginia Senate adjourns after rejecting GOP’s pick for state Supreme Court

The Virginia General Assembly waged a tense partisan battle Monday over an appointment to the state Supreme Court.

Republicans are backing Alston after complaining that McAuliffe should have consulted GOP leaders before appointing Roush to the Supreme Court.

Lawmakers are meeting Monday afternoon in Richmond to come to a solution for congressional redistricting to meet a court-ordered deadline of September 1.

Republicans had planned to elect Rossie D. Alston Jr., now a judge on the Virginia Court of Appeals, instead of Roush.

During Roush’s has a 22 year career as a judge in Fairfax, she presided over several high-profile cases including the sniper trial of Lee Boyd Malvo.

Thanks to a defection by retiring Republican Senator John Watkins of Powhatan County, Democrats were able to block the GOP’s preferred candidate.

Roush was at first invited to Monday’s hearing, and then uninvited.

Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, a Democrat from Fairfax County, predicted it’ll be up to the courts to ultimately decide. Her appointment was not taken up by the Senate, and without approval by the entire General Assembly, she will have to step down next month.

The House of Delegates and the Senate were expected to vote on Alston’s appointment later.

“Not only is this attempt to adjourn blatantly hypocritical and deeply irresponsible, it also directly defies both a federal court ruling and the Governor. I have my doubts, and I couldn’t blame them”.

Republicans in Virginia fought the lawsuit that led to the court order to redraw the 3rd District.

The Democrats and Watkins agreed to adjourn the Senate until further notice, and Northam broke another 20-20 tie when he supported that motion. “… I think we need to go back to square one”, he continued, saying his vote “puts the burden back on us to figure out what is in the best interests for the people of Virginia and what is in the best interests for the court”. The lawmakers are required to adjust the boundaries of the Third Congressional District.

A three-judge panel has twice ruled that in 2012 Virginia legislators packed too many additional black voters into the 3rd Congressional District, diluting their voting power in other districts.