The Supreme Court has partially stayed a District Court order in the ongoing House proxy voting case, allowing Representative Dannybec to continue exercising the powers of Speaker while leaving the rest of the lower court's injunction in effect.

Justice Feelings, acting as Application Justice, issued the short opinion in Dannybec, et al. v. Wrightsonphobia, et al., No. 26A2, in response to Dannybec's stay application after the District Court's 7 May preliminary injunction.

Most of the District Court Order Remains in Effect

The Supreme Court declined to pause the portions of the injunction blocking enforcement of Standing Rule XIX, preventing the Clerk from counting absent members toward quorum or recording proxy votes, and declaring House Resolutions 1707 and 1708 void.

"Make no mistake: I do not believe this case is worthy of a stay," Justice Feelings wrote, adding that the District Court had generally acted within preliminary-injunction limits.

As a result, proxy votes remain unusable for quorum purposes, and the lower court's treatment of alinvicom and sad66567 as Members-elect under the voided resolutions remains in place at this stage.

Supreme Court Restores Dannybec's Ability to Act as Speaker

The Supreme Court did intervene on one major point: the lower court's blanket bar on Dannybec exercising Speaker powers.

Justice Feelings said the District Court overreached by generally restraining a sitting Speaker's powers, emphasising separation-of-powers limits on judicial remedies against the legislative branch.

"It is impermissible that the powers of the legislative branch be usurped by the judicial branch," the opinion states.

The Court noted narrower options may have been available, such as targeted declaratory relief or injunctions tied to certification questions, but held that a general bar on all Speaker powers was inappropriate while Dannybec remains Speaker under House rules.

Case Continues

The plaintiffs — Wrightsonophobia, WesternClaymore, ICOxyte, camw9t, alinvicom, sad66567, and speedforce12359 — will now continue litigating the merits of their constitutional challenge to Standing Rule XIX.

The immediate legal position is now split: Dannybec may act as Speaker again, but the proxy voting ban and the District Court's voiding of Resolutions 1707 and 1708 remain in force pending further proceedings.

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