Michigan’s Gov. Granholm to Attorney General Cox: I’d have already fired Shirvell
Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm pulled no punches with this tweet earlier today.
If I was still Attorney General and Andrew Shervill worked for me, he would have already been fired.
In an interview on CNN’s AC360 last night, Attorney General Mike Cox was still defending the right of his assistant attorney general, Andrew Shervill, to continue his off-the-clock anti-gay cyberbullying of University of Michigan’s student body president Chris Armstrong, saying “He’s clearly a bully, absolutely. And is he using the Internet to be a bully? Yes. But is that protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution? Yes.”
According to CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, Cox’s decision not to fire Servill is more likely to be a result of Republican politics rather than any constitutional analysis.
COOPER: [Toobin] said that this is more about you than about Shirvell. And he said that Shirvell is a political ally of yours who worked on your campaign, and that the — you know, you campaigned on family values and weren’t very supportive of — of, you know, gay rights, and to fire him would be politically difficult for you, and that that plays a part in this story.
In the interview, Cox did indicate a willingness to take action if Chris Armstrong, the young gay man being cyberbullied/stalked by assistant attorney general Andrew Shervill, were to obtain a restraining order.
COOPER: So, if there was a restraining order or something filed or there was a lawsuit by Mr. Armstrong against Mr. Shirvell, you might look at this differently or that might change your ability to do something?
COX: Absolutely. You know, it’s — there’s a spectrum between pure speech and actual physical actions. Now, clearly, if he was stalking him and violating the criminal law, action could be taken against him.
Chris Armstrong filed a request for a restraining order on Shervill two weeks ago. Judge Nancy Francis, who denied Armstrong’s request for immediate issuance of the order, will consider Armstrong’s request at a hearing on Monday, October 4th at 1:30 p.m..
Related:
* Attorney General Mike Cox: Michigan’s Top Anti-Gay Bully
* State AGs: Sexless Marriage is Counterfeit, Same-Sex Version Would Destroy Marriage
Michigan’s Gov. Granholm to Attorney General Cox: I’d have already fired Shirvell
Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm pulled no punches with this tweet earlier today.
If I was still Attorney General and Andrew Shervill worked for me, he would have already been fired.
In an interview on CNN’s AC360 last night, Attorney General Mike Cox was still defending the right of his assistant attorney general, Andrew Shervill, to continue his off-the-clock anti-gay cyberbullying of University of Michigan’s student body president Chris Armstrong, saying “He’s clearly a bully, absolutely. And is he using the Internet to be a bully? Yes. But is that protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution? Yes.”
According to CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, Cox’s decision not to fire Servill is more likely to be a result of Republican politics rather than any constitutional analysis.
COOPER: [Toobin] said that this is more about you than about Shirvell. And he said that Shirvell is a political ally of yours who worked on your campaign, and that the — you know, you campaigned on family values and weren’t very supportive of — of, you know, gay rights, and to fire him would be politically difficult for you, and that that plays a part in this story.
In the interview, Cox did indicate a willingness to take action if Chris Armstrong, the young gay man being cyberbullied/stalked by assistant attorney general Andrew Shervill, were to obtain a restraining order.
COOPER: So, if there was a restraining order or something filed or there was a lawsuit by Mr. Armstrong against Mr. Shirvell, you might look at this differently or that might change your ability to do something?
COX: Absolutely. You know, it’s — there’s a spectrum between pure speech and actual physical actions. Now, clearly, if he was stalking him and violating the criminal law, action could be taken against him.
Chris Armstrong filed a request for a restraining order on Shervill two weeks ago. Judge Nancy Francis, who denied Armstrong’s request for immediate issuance of the order, will consider Armstrong’s request at a hearing on Monday, October 4th at 1:30 p.m..
Related:
* Attorney General Mike Cox: Michigan’s Top Anti-Gay Bully
* State AGs: Sexless Marriage is Counterfeit, Same-Sex Version Would Destroy Marriage
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