Tuesday’s meeting of the Senate Committee on Director Nominations has been cancelled as questions about Governor Katie Hobbs’ executive order on abortions have been raised, specifically regarding her exercise of authority.
Critics and Republican senators believe that Hobbs exceeded her authority when she issued an executive order last week, stripping county attorneys of their ability to deal with abortion-related prosecutions. Hobbs’ order also bans state agencies from assisting in those investigations.
Sen. Jake Hoffman, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Director Nominations, along with committee members President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope and Majority Whip Sine Kerr, sent a letter to Hobbs on Monday requesting an immediate meeting to address what they say is a “flagrant abuse of power” and to discuss possible “future legally questionable overreach her office intends to issue requiring complicity from Executive Directors.”
“You hold the office of Governor in Arizona, not of monarch,” the senators wrote in their letter to Hobbs, calling the executive order a “blatant disregard for separation of powers.”
“We have serious concerns this Governor will put her Directors in the difficult position of choosing to follow the law or choosing to follow her unconstitutional directives,” said Kerr. “The important work of the Committee on Director Nominations cannot continue until we have assurances from the Governor that she will cease her attempts to circumvent the laws of this state and the rulings of the United States Supreme Court.”
“Hobbs undermining our democracy by ordering these state agency Directors to act illegally is a clear violation of the constitutional separation of powers,” said Shope. “Instead of working with Republican lawmakers on the issues that matter to our citizens, like crippling inflation, gas prices, housing costs, public safety and water security, Hobbs is gleefully attempting to circumvent the Legislature. We can’t in good faith be an accomplice to her radical and unlawful agenda.”
“Katie Hobbs’ reckless abuse of power and willful disregard for the separation of powers established by the Arizona Constitution sets a dangerous precedent that will not be tolerated by the Republican Majority within the Legislature,” said Hoffman. “The Senate Committee on Director Nominations was created to honestly, accurately and thoroughly vet directors appointed by the Governor to critical state agencies so that only highly qualified, nonpartisan individuals seeking only to serve the best interests of our citizens within the confines of these roles are confirmed. Their duty is to follow statute as prescribed by the Legislature. We are now forced to redirect our attention, from confirming directors and creating good policy for the people of Arizona, to examining the fallout of Hobbs’ unconstitutional maneuver, as well as the likelihood of future overreaches of her authority.”