When I asked Cliff Levine, Democratic lawyer representing state Sen. Jim Brewster — who wasn’t sworn in today — about next steps, he declined to discuss specifics but said they have to learn more about what the Senate’s going to do next with the election contest petition.
https://twitter.com/andrew_lessman/status/1346572679327973377
That contest petition, which Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli filed last week, asked the Senate to throw out the certified results as illegal, declare Ziccarelli the winner, and seat her: 
Brewster’s response to the contest petition, meanwhile, asks the Senate to dismiss the petition.
I asked Matt Haverstick, the Republican lawyer representing Ziccarelli, about the dangers of this as a precedent for the future.
It won’t happen, he said, because these specific circumstances are so unique.
Okay, I asked, but — what if it does?
It won’t happen, he said, because these specific circumstances are so unique.
Okay, I asked, but — what if it does?
He compared it with the Democratic argument that if Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency actions (for the pandemic) were so overboard, even Democratic lawmakers would push back.
“That’s the same fail-safe we have in the General Assembly”: reasonable people holding the line.
“That’s the same fail-safe we have in the General Assembly”: reasonable people holding the line.
He acknowledged that relies on reasonable people acting in good faith. On norms.
But are there *structural* things preventing a completely bad-faith partisan actor from abusing power in the future?
No, he agreed — it relies on reasonable, good-faith actors and on norms.
But are there *structural* things preventing a completely bad-faith partisan actor from abusing power in the future?
No, he agreed — it relies on reasonable, good-faith actors and on norms.
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