BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Supreme Court has set oral arguments in the Legislature’s lawsuit against Gov. Doug Burgum challenging his veto powers.
The state’s high court scheduled the arguments for March 19.
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem is defending Burgum in the lawsuit. Stenehjem says he will base his argument on a previous opinion he authored in June that actually favors the Legislature on some of the vetoes.
But Stenehjem says he will argue that lawmakers ceded too much power by giving a subset of the Legislature “significant budgetary decisions” that were not authorized.
Lawmakers allege Burgum violated his line-item veto power last spring by deleting words or phrases on several spending bills in a way that changed intent.
Stenehjem lost to Burgum in the Republican primary for governor in 2016.
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