Senate committee Democrats block 14 more Youngkin appointees from Va. college boards

Leading Democratic leaders urged Gov. Glenn Youngkin to suspend any further appointments to Virginia’s university governing boards, after a state Senate committee rejected 14 of his appointments on Thursday.

The committee has axed a total of 22 Youngkin appointments, including the ones on Thursday and eight rejected in its June meeting.

Virginia law grants governors the authority to appoint individuals to approximately 300 public commissions and boards, including ones at institutions of higher learning. However, the governor and Democrats have not seen eye-to-eye on board appointments at several universities, ultimately leading to rejected appointees and an ongoing legal dispute.

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections rejected 14 appointments: four for the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), four for the University of Virginia (UVA) and its affiliates and six for George Mason University (GMU). Youngkin made the appointments to fill vacant positions on their respective boards.



https://virginiamercury.com/2025/08/28/senate-committee-democrats-block-14-more-youngkin-appointees-from-va-college-boards/