Brian Sandoval, moderate Republican and current governor of Nevada, has taken himself out of consideration for the current vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Earlier today, I notified the White House that I do not wish to be considered at this time for possible nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States,” Sandoval said in a statement. “I have also spoken to Senators Reid, Heller and McConnell and expressed the same desire to them. The notion of being considered for a seat on the highest court in the land is beyond humbling and I am incredibly grateful to have been mentioned.”
It really became news that Sandoval was being floated as a possible replacement for recently deceased Antonin Scalia.
Wow. This would make for a very interesting choice.
Living in Nevada myself, I’ve found Gov. Brian Sandoval to be very moderate and fair. Or, said another way: if you’re going to have a Republican governor, he’s a good one.
I’ve heard for years Sandoval would love to be a Supreme Court justice. And it would tough for the Senate Republicans to deny Sandoval a hearing.
A school anti-bullying bill, strongly supported by Gov. Brian Sandoval, has passed in the state Assembly by an overwhelming 36-6 vote, and now heads to the governors desk for his signature.
Senate Bill 504 creates the Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment within the Department of Education. It also sets specific requirements on how school officials must deal with incidents of bullying. Administrators, principals and other school officials who knowingly or willfully fail to meet the requirements could be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal.
The anti-bullying campaign is part of the Republican governor’s education agenda. His budget includes a new program called Social Workers in Schools, which would provide $36 million in grants to combat bullying. Another $300,000 in each of the next two years is also included in the governor’s budget to establish the Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment.
The bill includes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Nevada will become the 20th state plus the District of Columbia to have specific laws that protect LGBT students from bullying.
Even before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Nevada’s same-sex marriage ban, Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval had made clear that he would not appeal the ruling should the anti-gay law be found unconstitutional.
Sandoval and the state’s Attorney General didn’t even defend the law in the 9th. Due to “heightened scrutiny” required in cases involving sexual orientation, he and AG Catherine Cortez Masto admitted the law could not be defended.
True to his word, when the unanimous ruling was handed down by the 3 judge panel of the 9th Circuit, Sandoval said “done,” allowing gays and lesbians to begin marrying.
However, the folks over at the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage – the same group that got the law on the ballot back in 2002 – jumped in and defended the law in the 9th Circuit. And, of course, lost.
Now the Coalition is requesting the 9th Circuit consider re-hearing the lawsuit en banc, which would mean a panel of 11 judges versus the normal 3 judge panel which has already heard the case.
En banc reviews are difficult to get as a majority of the Court’s 29 judges have to agree to consider the case.
University of California, Irvine, law professor Doug Nejaime told the Washington Blade, “Given the Supreme Court’s action a couple weeks ago, there may not be many judges that want to spend resources reviewing the panel decision. And then there is certainly reason, given that Perry [the case that struck down California’s Proposition 8] was also decided in the Ninth Circuit, to think a different result is unlikely.”
In a short statement on Wednesday, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Sandoval said Nevada opposes the attempt by the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage to appeal the ruling, and hopes such opposition will lead to closure on the issue.
