Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Burris Denied Senate Seat

The U.S. Senate has refused to seat Roland Burris on the grounds that a) he hasn't been certified by the Illinois Secretary of State and b) the legitimacy of Governor Blagojevich's appointment.

At least they didn't take Chuck Schumer up on his suggestion that Al Franken be seated. That would have set off a constitutional crisis.

Still, the U.S. Senate is in the wrong here. Burris is an American citizen, over the age of 30 and a resident of Illinois. Any impropriety by Blagojevich doesn't change those facts. Blago's fate is up to the people of Illinois not the U.S. Senate. Besides the signature of the Illinois Secretary of State doesn't trump the signatures on the U.S. Constitution.

No comments: