American politician
Robert Anthony Rucho (born December 8, 1948), a dentist from Matthews, North Carolina, is a former Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's thirty-ninth Senate district, including parts of Mecklenburg County.[1]
Career
Rucho served as co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee until his abrupt resignation in June 2013 in a dispute with Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger over tax reform policy.[2] Berger never accepted the resignation and the next month, Rucho resumed his chairmanship.[3]
Views on the Affordable Care Act
Rucho gained much criticism, including from within his own party, after he tweeted "Justice Robert's pen & Obamacare has done more damage to the USA then [sic] the swords of the Nazis, Soviets & terrorists combined" on December 15, 2013.[4][5]
Rucho v. Common Cause
Rucho notably was named as the defendant in the 2019 Supreme Court case Rucho v. Common Cause, which involved redistricting and partisan gerrymandering. Though Rucho had already departed the state legislature by the time the case made its way up to the Supreme Court, he had previously been the chair of the committee in the state senate responsible for redrawing North Carolina's congressional districts, which drew a map heavily favoring Republicans under his leadership.
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