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VA County Prosecutor Takes on Felon Civil Rights Restoration

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A county prosecutor is suing Gov. Terry McAuliffe to force him to release the names of the felons whose civil rights have been restored.

Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Plowman filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the Loudoun County Circuit Court.

McAuliffe's executive order restoring voting rights of roughly 200,000 felons who completed their sentences also allows them to run for public office, serve on a jury and become a notary public. Plowman says he needs their names to determine whether someone is truly eligible to serve on a jury, among other things.

Plowman and media organizations have filed public records requests for a list of the names. McAuliffe's administration denied them under a "working papers" exemption in state law.

McAuliffe's spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.