A judge has dismissed a lawsuit from Republicans aimed at stopping proxy voting in the House of Representatives.
House Republicans say proxy voting is unconstitutional, so when the House passed a measure allowing it in May, they decided to challenge the rule change in court. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy filed his lawsuit on May 26.
Judge Rudolph Contreras said the case was beyond his purview, that the matter at hand was purely a legislative function. At this time, it is unclear whether McCarthy plans to appeal the decision.
Democrats say an option is necessary to allow legislating to continue during the coronavirus pandemic.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “The dismissal of the House GOP lawsuit is welcome news and hopefully the end of this sad Republican effort to obstruct the House from meeting the needs of the American people during the coronavirus crisis.”
Republicans have almost wholly rejected the idea of proxy voting. Only one Republican has taken advantage of the allowance since it was instituted.
