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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi lawmaker says the state constitution is at stake in his lawsuit against the House speaker over a speed-reading computer voice that's been called the "demon chipmunk."
Democratic state Rep. Jay Hughes of Oxford says Republican Speaker Philip Gunn violated the constitution by setting the machine to read bills aloud at a superfast speed. Hughes' attorney says House members called it a "demon chipmunk" voice.
Under the Mississippi Constitution, legislators can request bill readings. It's a common filibuster tactic.
Democrats forced bill readings in March, in the face of a Republican supermajority. Hughes sued Gunn over the speedy voice. The dispute is now before the state Supreme Court.
Gunn's attorneys say legislators can read bills themselves and it's unnecessary for legislation to be read aloud at a comprehensible pace.
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