Tag: George Barker

by Giselle Caruso With Virginia’s entire political world talking about the Republican Party of Virginia and Delegate Kathy Tran, it was easy to ignore a very...

UPDATE Monday AM: Sen. Janet Howell informs me, "I did walk off the floor to protest the speech. I did the same thing last...

The following press release from Gov. Northam's office is good stuff on combating gun violence; let's see if Republicans block it all again, as...

Lots of drama in Virginia's Senate Finance Committee this afternoon (yeah - they're baaaaack! LOL). I didn't get video of the beginning of it,...

On June 14, Democratic voters in Virginia's 4th CD will decide on their nominee for U.S. Congress in the newly-redrawn, Democratic-friendly district. The choices...

Great response by Senators McEachin and Barker to Gov. McDonnell's budget. The bottom line, according to McEachin and Barker: "we are concerned that aspects of the budget Governor McDonnell has put forth will damage Virginia and our economy by cutting hundreds of millions from public education and critical initiatives for children and families."

Senator McEachin and Senator Barker Respond to State of the Commonwealth Address
Democrats Vow to Protect Public Education Funding

(Richmond, VA) Newly-elected Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) and Senator George Barker (D-Fairfax) delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Commonwealth Address this evening, calling for both parties to come together to protect funding for our public schools.

Senators Barker and McEachin expressed Democrats' desire to keep doing things the "Virginia Way", putting problem-solving above partisan bickering. But both senators expressed grave concern with the deep cuts the Governor is proposing to public education, including cuts to Pre-Kindergarten programs and to cost-to-compete education funding, and with his desire to divert General Fund money, money which funds public education, to pay for transportation projects.

Text of Senator McEachin and Senator Barker's Remarks
EMBARGOED UNTIL 7:45 PM

The more I look into Tea Party-backed Republican Miller Baker, running for Virginia State Senate in the 39th district against incumbent Sen. George Barker, the more troubling Miller Baker appears. First, I checked out Baker's biography at McDermott, Will & Henry, where he "co-heads the [Law] Firm's Appellate Practice group, and focuses his practice on appellate and constitutional litigation." Among the cases Miller Baker has worked on include several election law cases:

*Millsaps v. Thompson, 259 F.3d 535 (6th Cir. 2001).  Whether Tennessee's early voting system violated federal law establishing a uniform day for federal elections.

*Voting Integrity Project, Inc. v. Keisling, 259 F.3d 1169 (9th Cir. 2001).  Whether Oregon's vote by mail system violated federal law establishing a uniform day for federal elections.

*Voting Integrity Project, Inc. v. Bomer, 199 F.3d 773 (5th Cir. 2000). Whether Texas' early voting system violated federal law establishing a uniform day for federal elections.

I also checked out Voting Integrity Project, Inc. v. Keisling, where I found Miller Baker as an appellant, arguing that "an Oregon statute that allows Oregonians to vote by mail for a substantial period prior to or as well as on this federal election day violates the federal election laws" and is unconstitutional.

What is the Voting Integrity Project? Salon Magazine explains: