http://66.225.205.104/JR20110607a.mp3
Editor's note: This version includes an addendum to the original story. South Carolina lawmakers would be in session today if Governor Nikki Haley had her way. But the state Supreme Court shot down her call for a special legislative session. Many now suspect the bold move did more harm than good to Governor Haley's already tense relationship with state lawmakers. Governor Haley wanted lawmakers in session this week to pass a quartet of bills that would restructure state government and give her more power. For example, one bill has the governor and lieutenant governor elected together on the same ticket. Another makes state Superintendent of Education a governor's appointment rather than an elected job. Clemson political scientist Dave Woodard says that's not the kind of thing that would typically merit a special session. "If you'd had a hurricane come and you had a crisis, or you had some pressing financial need or something like that, those are the reasons why you had special sessions," says Woodard. "Not because you didn't get your job done on time." Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell seemed to feel similarly and took his case to the State Supreme Court, which ruled Governor Haley had indeed overstepped her authority. * But some legislative leaders supported the governor's call for a special session, including the majority leaders of the House and Senate and the speaker pro tem. They also filed a motion to intervene in the case in support of Gov. Haley. McConnell - who's a Republican - actually supports the Haley's restructuring measures. "This has more to do with procedure - it has to do with sort of a tussle over who's in charge - and it's less about the substance," says Furman University political science professor Glen Halva-Neubauer. Haley's timing was also problematic, says University of South Carolina political scientist Mark Tompkins. She sprang the special session on lawmakers without any warning. "She hasn't served her interests well by not giving a signal up front that this was really important and that she really cared about getting this done," says Tompkins. "This relationship is pretty rocky," adds Kendra Stewart of the political science department at the College of Charleston. "If the governor doesn't figure out a better way to play within their rules, she could end up being as ineffective as the last governor." Stewart says it's a troubling sign for Governor Haley to find herself arguing opposite the Republican-led legislature in court. By the end of Governor Mark Sanford's tenure, the State Supreme Court was frequently called on to referee his disputes with lawmakers. Governor Haley's barely been in office six months. * This information was not included in the original version of this story.