Can 12 members of a state Senate committee speak for the entire General Assembly? That question was at the heart of Thursday’s hearing in the Supreme Court of Virginia in a case that could determine the makeup of the governing boards at three Virginia colleges.

Lawyers in the case argued over whether the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee has the authority to reject Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s nominations to the boards of George Mason University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Military Institute. Since June, the Democratic-led committee has refused 22 of Youngkin’s picks for the schools’ boards.

On Thursday, the high court heard Republicans’ appeal to a July decision by a Fairfax County judge who sided with Senate Democrats and said the committee’s vote was sufficient to block

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