Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) this week joined a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after she and House Democrats recently adopted measures allowing members to cast “proxy” votes on behalf of one of their colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Byrne said he believes that all votes in the House should happen in person and he wants to change the longstanding practice of proxy voting.

“Speaker Pelosi’s attempt to allow Democrats to cast multiple ‘proxy’ votes for their colleagues is a blatant violation of the Constitution. Under rules adopted last week, as few as 22 Democrats could claim a quorum and win a vote against all 197 Republicans,” Byrne said in a statement.

The lawsuit is being spearheaded by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who blasted the Pelosi effort as a “brazen violation of the Constitution” and “a dereliction of our duty as elected officials.”

Byrne is the only member of Alabama’s congressional delegation listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, but Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) indicated his support for the effort in a tweet on Wednesday.

“Don’t show up to vote? Don’t accept pay!” Brooks quipped about his coworkers on the other side of the aisle.

Democrats maintain that the rules are an appropriate alteration of procedure amidst the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

McCarthy and Byrne both argued that the Constitution lays out, in McCarthy’s words, a “requirement of actual assembly” before votes can be cast.

“If Democrats won’t show up to vote, they should turn the speaker’s gavel over to Leader McCarthy and the Republicans who are actually willing to show up and work for the people they represent,” added Byrne.

McCarthy’s office put together an overview of the evidence in which his legal effort is grounded that can be viewed here.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95