Senate Democrats Should Leave The Party If They Are Unwilling To Immediately Seat Kevin Rodriquez,

Senate Democrats Should Leave The Party If They Are Unwilling To ‘Immediately’ Seat Kevin Rodriquez, Party Says


ST. THOMAS — The St. Thomas District Democratic Party, in a release issued late Wednesday, toughened its stance on the matter of Senator-elect Kevin Rodriquez, no longer simply requesting that Mr. Rodriquez be seated by the 32nd Legislature, but asking that senators who are registered as Democrats “immediately” take the action of seating the senator-elect, or hold a swearing-in ceremony that amounts to the same.

The party’s emboldened stance follows the Third Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling opining that only the 32nd Legislature can determine Mr. Rodriquez’s fate. “With this ruling, the 32nd Legislature should fulfill its statutory obligation to judge Rodriquez’s qualifications for membership in the Legislature,” the appellate court said.

In its release on Wednesday, the party said Senate Democrats should leave the Party if they’re unwilling to act unitedly and swear-in or immediately seat Mr. Rodriguez.

“There should be no debate regarding his qualifications to be seated as a senator,” reads the release. “Thereafter there are specific charges that should be brought against him as a senator, then those written charges which affect his qualifications shall be served on him so he can be in a position to defend.” It was not clear whether charges have been levied against Mr. Rodriquez.

Read more: http://viconsortium.com/politics/senate-democrats-should-leave-the-party-if-they-are-unwilling-to-immediately-seat-kevin-rodriquez-party-says/

The seating of Rodriquez is being challenged because he allegedly did not meet residency requirements. However, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals handed a major victory to Mr. Rodriquez, when it said that only the 32nd Legislature can determine Mr. Rodriquez’s fate.