Statement of Governor LePage on Supreme Judicial Court Decision

August 6, 2015

For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 06, 2015
Contact: Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary, 207-287-2531

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage today released the following statement with regard to the Opinion of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court:

“This was not about winning or losing; it was about doing things right,” said the Governor. “We are fortunate to be able to seek legal opinions from the Judicial Branch, and we’re thankful the Justices came to a fast and fair resolution to this issue. We look forward to moving on and continuing to work for the Maine people.”

From the very beginning of this issue, the Governor has been focused on following the mandates of the Maine Constitution. In reading the Constitution’s plain language, the Governor concluded that under the circumstances, the three-day veto procedure was triggered, giving more time than usual to return vetoes. The Legislature disagreed.

Since the law was not settled and the answers were not known, the Governor sought guidance from the Supreme Court Justices.