Judge Says Dayton Wrong When He Effectively Abolished The Legislature
A judge reached all the way to the Federalist Papers of 1787 to conclude Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton violated the state Constitution when he vetoed state House and Senate funding last spring.
“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” James Madison wrote in arguing in favor of the separation of powers doctrine that soon became the basis for the U.S. Constitution and was key in the Wednesday, July 19, Minnesota court decision.
Ramsey County Judge John Guthmann ruled Dayton violated that doctrine when he vetoed most legislative funding. The judge said that action “effectively abolished the Legislature.”
While Dayton’s veto would have been proper had he rejected the budget if he objected to its size, Guthmann said, the governor cast the line-item veto to get leverage for the Legislature to overturn some provisions in a new law he signed. He never objected to the $130 million legislative budget.
Read more: http://capitolchat.areavoices.com/2017/07/20/judge-says-dayton-wrong-when-he-effectively-abolished-the-legislature/
