Friday, May. 22, 2009

Second stimulus suit filed

Columbia attorney Dwight Drake has filed a lawsuit asking the South Carolina Supreme Court to require Gov. Mark Sanford to accept a disputed $350 million in federal stimulus money included in the budget for the year beginning July 1.

The suit is again filed on behalf of Chapin High School senior Casey Edwards and a second plaintiff, University of South Carolina Law School student Justin Williams, has been added, Drake said.

Drake said the suit asks the court to determine if lawmakers met the intent of the federal law by passing a resolution requesting the money, and if the Legislature's authority to appropriate money means they can require Sanford request the money. The suit also asks the court to hear the case immediately.

The S.C. Supreme Court rejected an earlier, similar suit because lawmakers and Sanford still had an opportunity to resolve the dispute. Now that the Legislature has approved the money in its budget, Drake believed the court would hear the case.

Sanford filed a suit in federal court Wednesday asking for an injunction against a budget requirement that he apply for the federal funds.

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