Gov. Kevin Stitt rode into office in 2019 having rarely voted and with little idea how government worked. Separation of powers? In Stitt’s mind, that was how the CEO divvied up the work for the minions.
It clearly didn’t set well with the governor when he learned the state House and Senate – and, yes, the courts – have a huge say in matters. He thought he could hire and fire and stomp and demand and … everyone else in state government would roll over.
Even when a Republican supermajority sought to make nice by ceding to the governor the power to hire and fire the bosses and the boards at five major state agencies, it wasn’t enough for Stitt – who continued to test the boundaries of the Oklahoma governor’s legal powers.
Finally, Del City Rep. Andy Fugate had enough. He recently sued Stitt in state district court challenging the governor’s authority to order all full-time state employees to end remote work and return to in-office work environments.
This week, a judge tossed out Fugate’s suit, ruling he did not have legal standing. But this case is far from over: Fugate’s attorneys are appealing the district judge’s ruling to the state Supreme Court. And it’s an issue with which the Legislature, one way or the other, eventually will have to deal.
Fugate, the House Democratic Floor Leader, joins us for our latest Observercast – Stitt Still Oversteps – to discuss Stitt’s executive order specifically and his ongoing quest to consolidate power in the governorship – and what it all could mean for Oklahoma taxpayers.
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