CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A Fairfax Circuit Court judge ordered that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s eight appointees to public university boards be removed following a lawsuit by nine Democratic senators.

The senators, including Creigh Deeds, successfully argued that the appointees should not serve since they were rejected by a senate committee vote in June, countering the demands of Youngkin, a Republican, and his attorney general, Jason Miyares.

The list of appointees who weren’t approved by the Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee includes former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli II at UVA, as well as appointees at George Mason and VMI.

“The decision this morning was plainly obvious for anybody who’s ever read the Virginia code, the Constitution or followed legislative procedure,” Deeds told Cville Right Now. “The committees are how the General Assembly acts. We speak through the committees. And so the committee action was legislative action. We’re in Trump world now where, if you don’t agree with the law, you just say it doesn’t exist. It was just a waste of money for Jason Miyares and Glenn Youngkin to pursue this in court, force our hand. But I’m glad we did it.”

Tuesday, Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jonathan D. Frieden issued a preliminary injunction barring the appointees from continuing to serve.

According to Virginia’s Constitution, all appointments by the governor must be confirmed by the General Assembly.

Democrats insisted that the appointees could not serve without being approved by the Senate committee, while Miyares and the other Republicans said they should be allowed on the boards because they had not been rejected by the full assembly, just the committee.

Senator Ghazala Hashmi, who is running for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket, applauded the decision.

“Today’s ruling by the Fairfax Circuit Court is a critical affirmation of transparency, accountability, and the democratic principles that guide our public institutions,” Hashmi said in a statement released by her campaign. “As a former college professor, I strongly support the court’s decision, which reinforces the duty of Virginia’s university boards to operate with integrity and within the bounds of the law.

“As Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, I have long championed the public’s right to be informed and involved in decisions impacting our education system. This ruling makes clear that Boards of Visitors must honor both the law and the public trust.”

Republicans are expected to appeal the decision.