U.S. Supreme Court Justices heard an Alabama voting rights case that stems from an incident in Mobile County.
Governor Bob Riley used his power of appointment in 2005 when Sam Jones became Mayor and left an open seat in the Mobile County Commission.
Riley appointed Juan Chastang, a Republican, to the commission in November 2005.
Democrats challenged the decision because the Justice Department didn't approve the selection under the federal Voting
Rights Act.
The case has made its way through the court system in Alabama and is now being heard in the highest court in the land.
According to the Associated Press, Supreme Court Justices expressed skepticism today about the federal government's authority to block an
Appointment by Governor Bob Riley.
Attorneys for Democrats argued that allowing the change to stand would allow voting changes made by state courts to be accepted without federal review.
Riley, who has cast the case as a battle for state sovereignty, said he was encouraged.
A federal court removed Chastang from his seat as District 1 Commissioner in May 2007. Merceria Ludgood, a Democrat, won a special election last October.
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