RICHMOND (WSLS 10) - The Virginia Supreme Court says Governor McAuliffe's executive order, restoring rights to more than 200,000 ex-offenders in Virginia, is unconstitutional.
The ruling means that every one of the more than 11,000 ex-offenders around the state who have already had their rights restored, will now have them taken away again.
Republicans, who fought the executive order as a violation of the Virginia Constitution, say it's a big win.
However, community advocates like Shawn Hunter, who has worked since May to get more than 300 hundred people registered, can't believe the news.
"It's a big blow, and as I said we are very saddened. We put a lot of work in, spent a lot of money and hours trying to do the right thing, but we're going to continue, and we believe the Governor's going to do the right thing," said Hunter.
"This is a huge victory for the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and Governor McAuliffe has spent 90 days bragging about this as the high point of his Governorship. The Supreme Court just concluded that what he did was unconstitutional, and it shows that nobody's above the law," said Republican Delegate Rob Bell.
McAuliffe can still restore rights to ex-offenders on an individual basis, and he said Friday night quote "I will expeditiously sign nearly 13,000 individual orders to restore the fundamental rights of the citizens who have had their rights restored and registered to vote... the struggle for civil rights has always been a long and difficult one, but the fight goes on."