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Republicans begin impeachment hearings

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Waxing poetic about executive overreach, Republican lawmakers held a hearing today in the House Judiciary Committee introducing articles of impeachment against Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.

Three Republican lawmakers filed articles of impeachment against the Governor for various offenses. Rep. Nick Marshall, R-Parkville, filed his resolution after Nixon announced the state of Missouri would allow same-sex couples to file joint tax returns, even though the state does not recognize gay couples. Nixon cited state statute, which requires joint filings on the federal and state level to be identical, saying the change was necessary to comply with the law.

Marshall says Nixon’s move was a “blatant and complete disregard of the will of people of the state,” and says that Nixon failed to interpret the law within the parameters of the state constitution.

“Governor Nixon seized power the people hadn’t given him and issued an executive order that was unconstitutional,” Marshall said during the hearing.

Rep. Nick Marshall, R-Parkville
Rep. Nick Marshall, R-Parkville

Opposition to the impeachment came mostly in the form of committee members exploring alternatives, like an official censure. Some members of both parties worried about precedent. Currently, there is a lawsuit in Missouri courts challenging Nixon’s executive order. Some lawmakers worried about moving forward with impeachment while the suit was still in court.

“I have some concerns, because it seems to me like what we are talking about is a disagreement about a legal analysis, and that disagreement is currently before the courts,” Rep. Mike Colona, D-St. Louis, said. “Shouldn’t we be waiting on them to see where they end up?”

Marshall responded that the courts were waiting for the legislature to act, which is why the lawsuit had been stalled.

Two other lawmakers, Rep. Mike Moon and Rep. Rick Brattin, have filed articles of impeachment as well, but Marshall’s hearing lasted long enough that the committee did not have time to hear their resolutions.

Moon’s resolution claims Nixon took too long in announcing special elections for vacant seats in the legislature, while Brattin is accusing Nixon of failing to properly discipline state employees involved in last year’s DOR document-scanning scandal.

Due to time constraints, neither man was able to fully present their resolutions. The committee intends to reconvene next Wednesday at noon to complete the hearings.