Sen. Amanda Chase’s attempt to overturn the censure she received from her colleagues in the state Senate earlier this year has failed after her lawsuit was dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge Thursday.
The senator from Chesterfield received the censure for her participation in pushing election conspiracy theories and her attendance at the Jan. 6 rally that resulted in the insurrection. She was given a chance to apologize for everything by her colleagues during the legislative session, but they were not satisfied with her words and moved forward with the disciplinary action.
Chase then took the matter to court in an attempt to have it overturned. She argued that she was “singled out and selectively penalized for taking unpopular political positions.”
The argument failed.
In his motion for dismissal of the lawsuit, Attorney General Mark Herring said Chase “participated in a rally that directly preceded an insurrection that ‘led to multiple deaths, including that of a United States Capitol Police officer; injured numerous others; desecrated the United States Capitol; resulted in property destruction; threatened the lives and safety of those who are entrusted with carrying out the will of the American people; and required an emergency response from 200 Virginia State Troopers and 1,300 members of the Virginia National Guard, who were put in harm’s way to quell the violence and restore order.’”
Herring also concluded his statement by pointing out that the censure was a political move made by the senators in the General Assembly. The courts have no real authority to step in. “Because censure is fundamentally a political proceeding conducted by a legislative body, plaintiff’s remedy for any alleged wrongs must be a political one rather than ‘a public fight in a court of law,” Herring argued in his motion.
Chase declined to comment.
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