During its Jan. 26 monthly meeting, Mathews County Board of Supervisors considered a proposal to declare the county a 1st Amendment sanctuary; the motion failed by a 3-2 margin.
Paul Hudgins introduced the motion, with only fellow supervisor Jackie Ingram joining him in support.
The proposed First Amendment Sanctuary Resolution refers to the Constitution of Virginia’s Article 1, Section 1 that asserts the right of all men to be free and independent, to have “enjoyment of life and liberty,” and to be free from laws that would abridge the freedoms of speech, the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right “to petition the government for the redress of grievances.”
The two-page resolution presented charged that Gov. Ralph Northam is violating Article 1 by prohibiting gatherings of more than 25 people at a time, and it called for forbidding county employees to assist in or promote enforcement of Executive Orders 63 and 67, as well as “any other Executive Orders that purport to li...