By Associated Press
Washington, D.C. – Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism Monday (3-24) about the federal government's authority to block an appointment by Governor Bob Riley. At issue is Riley's appointment of a fellow Republican to a vacant county commission seat representing a mostly black and heavily Democratic district.
In 2005, Riley appointed Juan Chastang to the commission in November 2005. Democrats challenged the move because the Justice Department had not approved it under the federal Voting Rights Act.
A federal court removed the Republican from his seat on the Mobile County commission and a Democrat won a special election last October.
Several justices questioned whether Riley's appointment amounted to a change warranting federal intervention.
Attorneys for Democrats argued that allowing the change to stand would allow voting changes made by state courts to be accepted without federal review.
But some justices seemed skeptical. They suggested that if the Democrats were to win, Riley would be held to a system of special elections that the state's highest court has ruled violate state law.
Riley, who has cast the case as a battle for state sovereignty, said he was encouraged.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)