Judge's Ruling On Delegate's Seat Expected Soon

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) -- A Prince George's County Circuit Court judge is expected to make a ruling soon over a variety of issues relating to the status of a seat in the House of Delegates.

Judge C. Philip Nichols Jr. said he intended to release the ruling on Wednesday. He announced in court on Tuesday afternoon he would release his decision within 24 hours.

Nichols will be deciding whether Prince George's Democrat Tiffany Alston's seat is indeed vacant, as the attorney general has said in an opinion related to her October plea agreement for misconduct in office.

He also will be considering the role a county central committee has in choosing a replacement for an official who has been removed from office and whether the governor is bound to appoint the panel's nominee.

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