Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) lost a critical fight to hamstring his Democratic successor's ability to oversee the administration of the state's public universities.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia Supreme Court declined to lift an injunction by a lower court that blocks Youngkin from making 22 appointments to the boards that oversee the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and Virginia Military Institute.
"The court did not rule on the merits of Attorney General Jason Miyares' appeal of a July 29 ruling by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Frieden," said the report. The order in question "upheld the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee's authority to refuse to confirm eight of Youngkin's appointments to the three boards of visitors. The committee then rejected an additional 14 of the governor's appointments to the three boards."
This ruling effectively settles the issue because both Youngkin and Miyares will shortly leave office to be replaced by Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Jay Jones, respectively, giving Spanberger the ability to make these appointments.
"The Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the injunction on 22 of Gov. Youngkin’s board appointments affirms what we’ve said all along: the law and our Constitution matter," Democratic Virginia state Sen. Aaron Rouse posted on X in response to the ruling. "We’ll continue to ensure proper oversight and act when necessary. Thankfully, the end is near for Gov. Youngkin."
The controversy began earlier this year when President Donald Trump's Justice Department forced university president James Ryan to resign as a condition of foregoing a series of civil rights investigations and funding rescissions to the school, allegedly because Ryan had obstructed federal efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Spanberger, following her win in this month's gubernatorial election, urged the university board to wait on selecting a new president until she had filled vacancies on the board. An enraged Youngkin demanded board members disregard this, as he is still governor — which prompted Ryan to go public with a lengthy letter detailing the "hostage situation" Trump put the university through.