Republican state senators in Pennsylvania took the rare move of barring the Democratic lieutenant governor from presiding over the Senate amid a chaotic first day of a new session.
After Senate Democrats attempted to stop new senators from being sworn in, the Republican-held Senate voted to prevent Lt. Gov. John Fetterman from presiding over the day's session on the grounds that Fetterman was not following rules or recognizing their legislative motions, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In Pennsylvania, the lieutenant governor, like the vice president of the United States, presides over the state Senate.
"I had no desire to ruin picture day," Fetterman said afterward. "It came down to, there’s got to be a way for both sides to maintain their dignity and we can find a way forward. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case."
Democrats wanted to hold off on swearing in new senators because one race, between Democratic state Sen. Jim Brewster and Republican Nicole Ziccarelli, is being challenged in federal court. Ziccarelli asked a judge to toss out Brewster's narrow win in Allegheny County, claiming that hundreds of ballots cast in the race weren't properly dated by voters, a requirement under state law.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has already weighed in on the matter, ruling in Brewster's favor. Brewster's election was also certified by the state.
Republican state Sen. Jake Corman, Pennsylvania's Senate president pro tempore, recognized every elected member except Brewster in what Democrats called an "attempted coup," according to the York Daily Record.
Welp.
Republican majority of the Pennsylvania State Senate just removed @JohnFetterman from the chamber. President Pro Temp Corman is presiding instead. Fetterman refused to recognize a motion that would have prevented a duly elected Democratic senator from being sworn in. pic.twitter.com/BOFe1kRMfe
— Abraham Gutman 🔥 (@abgutman) January 5, 2021
Corman said that the lawmakers "needed time to review a petition Ziccarelli filed with the Senate on Jan. 1 and Brewster's response, which are more than 500 pages combined."
Republicans did not say how long it would take to review the challenge — or how long the majority would leave Brewster's seat vacant, according to the Morning Call.
The heated first day began with a battle over whether senators should be required to wear masks on the Senate floor, according to the York Daily Record.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pennsylvania-state-senate-brewster-corman-lieutenant-governor