The Oregon Supreme Court stripped the possibility of re-election of 10 state senators who held a historic six-week strike to paralyze legislation on abortion, treatment for transgender people and firearms regulations.
This Thursday, the high court supported the decision of Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade to disqualify from the next electoral ballot a large number of senators who joined what is classified as the longest strike in the history of Oregon .
Valade's decision, now upheld by the Supreme Court, is based on Measure 113 of 2022, which prohibits legislators from being re-elected if they have more than 10 unexcused absences. This electoral amendment, created with the objective of avoiding legislative strikes, now affects Republican Senators Tim Knopp, Lynn Findley, Bill Hansell, Kim Thatcher, Art Robinson, Suzanne Weber, Daniel Bonham, Cedric Hayden, Dennis Linthicum and independent Senator, Brian Boquist.
It should be noted that five of the senators affected by Valade's decision questioned the sanction, arguing that the constitutional amendment states that a legislator cannot run "for the term following the election after the member’s current term is completed," suggesting they could appear in the 2024 ballots, since the elections are held before the end of their terms.
However, the court ruled that although petitioners' “interpretation of the text may be the more grammatical reading, the text is capable of supporting the secretary’s interpretation.”
Senators criticize the court's decision
The reactions of the senators were immediate. Daniel Bonham was one of the first to criticize the decision, pointing out that legal experts agree with the senators' interpretation.
“Every legal mind I’ve heard from regardless of political leanings has affirmed that when there is only one interpretation for the plain language of the law, that is final. The language incorporated into the Oregon Constitution was clear and yet the Supreme Court ruled that voter intent, which cannot be determined by any metric, supersedes the Constitution. There is no justice in a political court,” he said.
Tim Knopp , Republican minority leader of the Oregon Senate, also expressed his displeasure and stressed concern “by the chilling impact this decision will have to crush dissent.”
“I’m disappointed but can’t say I’m surprised that a court of judges appointed solely by Governor [Kate] Brown and Governor [Tina] Kotek would rule in favor of political rhetoric,” Senator Suzanne Weber also said .
