RICHMOND, VA. (AP) – In order to settle a lawsuit brought by a state prosecutor, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe will turn over a list of 206,000 convicted felons whose voting rights he restored under a now-defunct executive order.
The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/2sA3P5C) McAuliffe issued the order last April. Shortly thereafter, Loudon County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman filed a Freedom of Information Request for the list naming the felons. Plowman said he would make the case for vetting felons before restoring their rights.
The administration denied the request. Plowman then sued the McAuliffe administration, which resulted in Monday’s settlement.
McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy says that since the Supreme Court invalidated the original order, the governor came up with a different method to restore rights. He called the lawsuit “needless” and “wasteful.”
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