Judge tosses lawsuit over Virginia state senator s censure
SARAH RANKIN and DENISE LAVOIE
May 13, 2021
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A federal judge on Thursday sided with the state of Virginia and tossed a lawsuit filed by state Sen. Amanda Chase over her censure by the Virginia Senate.
Chase, a far-right-wing conservative state senator often at odds with even fellow Republicans, filed the lawsuit in February, a few days after her colleagues passed the censure resolution on a bipartisan vote, denouncing her for a “pattern of unacceptable conduct.”
Chase was seeking a declaratory judgment that the censure violated her First Amendment rights and wanted the censure expunged and her seniority restored. Her attorney, GOP legal activist Tim Anderson, argued the censure was a stain on her candidacy for governor. Chase was one of seven Republicans competing for the party s nomination, but GOP delegates chose businessman Glenn Youngkin as the nominee on May 8.
UpdatedThu, May 13, 2021 at 5:54 pm ET
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State and local officials gathered outside River Farm to urge the American Horticultural Society to keep the landmark publicly accessible with a sale. (Emily Leayman/Patch)
FORT HUNT, VA Weddings. Family outings. Community events. Fundraisers. River Farm has been an important setting for many neighbors over the years due to its picturesque gardens and history. Once the northernmost of George Washington s farms, it is now the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) and a mainstay for visitors and special events.
But in September, AHS indicated it would put River Farm up for sale amid financial challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Neighbors and officials began expressing concerns about the future of the historic property and whether it could be redeveloped and no longer publicly accessible under new ownership.
Chase has been accused of voicing support for those who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol. She herself attended a rally shortly before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol but was not part of the group that later stormed the building. Chase also previously called for martial law to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The Senate’s censure resolution said she had “exhibited conduct unbecoming of a Senator during her terms in office by displaying a disregard for civility in discourse with colleagues, making false and misleading statements both in committee and on the Senate floor, and displaying a disregard for the significance of her duty to the citizens of the Commonwealth as an elected representative in the Senate of Virginia.”
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