Tampa, Florida — There’s a push going on to change Florida’s future, and it’s in a way that some say is sneaky, dishonest, and just plain wrong. This impacts a whole range of what you care about: education, transportation, your freedoms, and your privacy. Read more here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/280556/8/Push-to-change-Floridas-future-flies-under-the-radar.
I voted early and chose, “Yes” to retain the three Florida Supreme Court Justices up for merit retention. Here is why. “Merit retention,” was wisely put into place so that voters could get rid of justices who dishonor their office, not to mock our system of checks and balances. Read more here: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20121029/OPINION/121029549/1109/sports?Title=Charlie-Crist-Vote-Yes-for-merit-retention&tc=ar.
In an election year with a momentous presidential race, it may surprise voters to learn that one of the most important and historic decisions for Floridians is actually toward the very end of their ballot. Three of Florida’s Supreme Court Justices and a number of appellate judges are on the ballot for a regularly slated merit retention vote. Read more here: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/oct/28/guest-commentary/.
Amendment 5 is one of the 11 legislatively proposed amendments to Florida’s constitution on the November ballot. It presents three different and distinct proposed changes to how Florida’s court system is constitutionally structured. Read more here: http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/oct/28/vwviewo1-a-threat-to-our-courts-ar-545818/.
We Floridians are in danger of losing the last and most important safeguard the individual citizen has against the overwhelming power of government, special interest money and political machinery: our independent and nonpartisan state Supreme Court. Read more here: http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/oct/27/naopino1-fight-effort-to-destroy-independent-judic-ar-545755/.
The appellate prosecutor in the murder case cited by the Republican Party of Florida to depict three state Supreme Court justices as “judicial activists” said Friday all three are “outstanding justices who are being unfairly attacked for overtly political reasons.” Tallahassee lawyer Curtis M. French said he resents his successful appeal to Washington being used as “Exhibit A” in the political case against Florida Justices Peggy Quince, Barbara Pariente and R. Fred Lewis. He said they will have his vote Nov. 6. Read more here: http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=29975579.
Should they stay or should they go? Since Florida began holding merit retention elections for its Supreme Court justices and appeals judges in 1978, state voters have always voted to keep them on the bench. Read more here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-endorsement-supreme-court-102612-20121025,0,3177685.story.
We’ve often said about the Republican Party that “99 and a half won’t do” for them. They’ve got to have it all. The latest example? The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) wants to take over the top level of Florida’s judicial branch: the Florida Supreme Court. Read more here: http://flcourier.com/2012/10/25/change-the-rules-and-change-the-refs/.
WINTER PARK, Fla. — A measure is on the ballot and an effort is underway to remove and replace three Florida Supreme Court justices. The justices, Barbara Pariente, Peggy Quince and R. Fred Lewis, are on the ballot for merit retention. Read more here: http://www.wesh.com/news/politics/Amendment-5-seeks-to-remove-3-Fla-supreme-court-justices/-/11788048/17146008/-/siygbh/-/index.html#ixzz2ARTtANDI.
A proposed constitutional amendment that would change the way Florida Supreme Court justices are appointed and give the legislature more control over court rules isn’t a power grab, said a House Speaker who pushed the proposal. Read more here: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/election-2012-state-ballot-questions-on-courts-stu/nSjt4/.
Even as three Florida Supreme Court justices fight to hold onto their seats in merit elections scheduled for November, a ballot proposal that would change how future appointees are named to the court is also headed to voters. Read more here: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=537625.
Title on ballot: State Courts What it would do: This measure would provide for Senate confirmation of Supreme Court justices; give lawmakers control over changes to the rules governing the court system; and direct the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates judicial misconduct complaints, to make its files available to the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Read more here: http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-09-23-0#.UImMiG_A-aV.
Florida is one of three states this year that will vote on a ballot measure in November that, if passed, will politicize state courts. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, from 2011 to 2012, legislators in 24 states introduced laws or resolutions that would “enable governors to replace competent state judges, a power that would, in practice, result in more conservative replacements in states across the country.” Of those 24 states where such … Continue reading
The amendments that you will see on this year’s ballot are proposed changes to the Florida Constitution. Our state constitution – similar to the U.S Constitution – establishes rules and basic rights. It covers freedoms such as religion, speech, press, assemblage, work and bearing of arms. Read more here: http://flcourier.com/2012/10/25/another-gop-power-grab/.
Judicial elections used to be so quaint. Candidates didn’t campaign, lest politics taint their independence. They just ran on their résumés. Not so any more. In today’s hyperpoliticized environment, judicial candidates routinely drum up money from campaign contributors who want to buy influence. Read more here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/10/23/judicial-elections-judges-campaign/1653345/.
The issue concerning fair and impartial judges is not a new issue for this state or the United States as a whole. This issue was fought over during the formation of this great nation and the U.S. Constitution. In 1788, Alexander Hamilton wrote The Federalist #78, which eloquently details the need for our judges, especially our appeals court and Supreme Court judges, to be free to make decisions based on their impartial interpretations of the … Continue reading
RIVERVIEW — State Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince came before the Riverview Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday with a fundamental request of the audience. Vote. Read more here: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/ernest-hooper-its-downright-un-american-not-to-vote/1248596.
It’s for a reason the judiciary is equal to and independent of the executive and legislative branches of government. It’s to minimize — and hopefully, eliminate — political pressure on how judges might rule on cases. We need our judges to make tough decisions that aren’t always popular in order to uphold the law and protect citizens’ rights. Read more here: http://www.news-press.com/article/20120826/OPINION/308260014/0/SPORTS04/Make-educated-vote-about-retaining-Florida-Supreme-Court-justices?odyssey=nav%7Chead.
With politics seeping into nonpartisan judge retention votes nationwide, three Florida Supreme Court justices are taking an unusual step this week — hitting the road to inform voters about how appellate judges are kept on the bench. Read more here: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/aug/21/fla-justices-hit-road-to-make-case-for-retention/.
This year, 32 states will be holding contested elections or retention votes for judges on their highest courts. An ideological battle inFlorida, an expensive and partisan one in North Carolina and others are providing uncomfortable lessons about why judges on the highest courts should be appointed rather than elected. Elections turn judges into politicians, and the need to raise money to finance ever more expensive campaigns makes the judiciary more vulnerable to improper influence by donors. Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/opinion/judicial-elections-and-the-bottom-line.html?_r=1.
Florida is one of three states this year that will vote on a ballot measure in November that, if passed, will politicize state courts. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, from 2011 to 2012, legislators in 24 states introduced laws or resolutions that would “enable governors to replace competent state judges, a power that would, in practice, result in more conservative replacements in states across the country.” Of those 24 states where such … Continue reading
Even in a presidential election year, the state’s most dishonest campaign is the attempt to kick three justices off the Florida Supreme Court. The new tactic is a lawsuit alleging that justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince are not qualified to be on the November ballot because they supposedly had court staff illegally assist them in completing election paperwork. Last week, Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis threw out the lawsuit, ruling … Continue reading
This year, the most dishonest, unfair campaign will be waged against three candidates who barely can fight back. Those would be Florida Supreme Court Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince. They have been targeted by those who want a high court beholden to corporate interests. The sniping was in full view last week. Read more here: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/resist-special-interest-purge-2334409.html?cxtype=rss_editorials.
By Alex VillalobosMarch 10, 2012 Fair and impartial administration of justice is a difficult and delicate balancing act — and it is one that I believe all seven members of the Florida Supreme Court perform admirably day in and day out. Floridians are well served when tough questions are met with thorough debate and analysis and decided based on each individual Justices careful consideration of what they believe to be mandated by our state … Continue reading
The Florida Legislature has pretty much always undertaken its once-every-decade redistricting chore with two paramount objectives: To protect incumbents and to keep the ruling party in power. That was true when the Democrats ran the Legislature, and it is true now that the Republicans are in charge. But now there are a whole new set of rules in place, complements of Florida voters who approved two “Fair Districts” amendments to the state Constitution. http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120310/OPINION01/120309596/1109/sports?Title=Editorial-The-new-rules&tc=ar
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Friday tossed out the proposed state Senate legislative maps, forcing lawmakers to start over in a special session later this month. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/workinglife/supreme-court-tosses-proposed-senate-maps/1219161
Foreclosure mediation program’s low rate of success leaves its future in doubt By Kimberly Miller Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Florida’s landmark mandatory foreclosure mediation program is under scrutiny by the state courts administrator because of its limited success. Statewide, just 3.6 percent of all cases referred to mediation in a yearlong period beginning in March 2010 ended in a written agreement between the lender and homeowner. In Palm Beach County, which didn’t begin its … Continue reading
The push is on in Florida to cut the courts out of the foreclosure process by Janet Zink Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/21/v-print/2417050/rick-scott-gop-to-consider-taking.html#ixzz1YbJcC7uY Supporters of the concept — which is used in nearly 30 states — say it will speed foreclosures, get houses back onto the real estate market and boost the economy. Opponents say it puts property owners at the mercy of banks. Gov. Rick Scott, House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos all … Continue reading
Focus on civility among attorneys sends a message Tallahassee Democrat Editorial The world around us changes so rapidly that too often our actions go unchecked, tempers are lost, fits are thrown and epithets are hurled, all causing more harm than good — not to mention being utterly unpersuasive. Technology influences how we communicate — in haste. The drive to win overcomes our appreciation for the talents or experience of others. Being pushed to the brink … Continue reading
NY Times Editorial http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/opinion/threadbare-american-justice.html# It is an American article of faith that the path to justice runs through the courts. State courts, which handle a vast majority of civil and criminal cases, are in a state of crisis. Across the country, deep budget cuts and increased caseloads have created long delays and a denial of basic access to justice.
By TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com The backlog of foreclosure cases in Florida courts was cut considerably during a one-year state initiative that brought on retired judges to hear homeowner cases, the Office of State Court Administrators announced Thursday. More than 200,000 cases were disposed between July 1, 2010 and June 30 of this year, slashing the inventory by nearly 45 percent. There are 260,815 foreclosure cases currently pending in Florida courtrooms, with about 72,000 of … Continue reading
Environmentalists Praise Court Ruling Capitol News Service August 17th, 2011 by Whitney Ray Environmentalists are celebrating yesterday’s ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that says Governor Rick Scott can’t suspend rulemaking. Now more rules guiding Everglades restoration can be produced. Eric Draper, Executive Director of Audubon of Florida says since Scott’s freeze, protecting the Everglades has been a challenge.
Florida Supreme Court: Rick Scott overstepped his authority | TBO.com By CATHERINE WHITTENBURG | The Tampa Tribune TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court dealt a blow to Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday, finding that he overstepped his constitutional authority when he suspended rulemaking by state agencies. Ruling against Scott in favor of a low-income blind woman from South Florida, the justices said in a 5-2 opinion that Scott had violated the separation of powers between … Continue reading
Fla. Supreme Court Invalidates Part of Scott Rulemaking Order WCTV Gov. Rick Scott overstepped his legal bounds when he put a hold on proposed agency rules, keeping them from going into effect until they could be reviewed by the governor’s office, a divided state Supreme Court said.
Florida Governor Scott’s Orders Exceeded Authority, State High Court Rules Bloomberg Florida Governor Rick Scott overstepped his authority by suspending state-agency rulemaking and requiring agencies to seek permission to issue new regulations from an accountability office he created, the state’s highest court decided. The Florida Supreme Court said today that the Republican governor violated the separation of powers and overstepped his constitutional authority. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by a Florida food stamp … Continue reading
Our justice system has been cut to the bone 08/06/2011 © Miami Herald There’s a new contender for the most-used verb in America: cut. Cutting the federal deficit was the basis of the raging congressional debate that just ended. It was the centerpiece of many actions taken by the Florida Legislature during its recent session. It’s also a word on the lips of many corporate executives, and many of us as we tighten our own … Continue reading
O’Connor: Lawyers & Judges Need to Wake Up to Judicial Funding Threat, Prep for Political Battle ABA Journal By James Podgers Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor expressed concern Sunday that not even lawyers and members of the judiciary fully recognize the threat to state courts posed by funding cutbacks being imposed by state legislatures. “No one, not even lawyers and judges, understands what a financial bind the courts are in,” said O’Connor … Continue reading
Don’t blame Florida Supreme Court for the backlog of inmates on state’s death row Orlando Sentinel | July 27, 2011 When the Florida Supreme Court delayed a condemned cop killer’s execution this week, it seemed to bolster an argument heard in the state Capitol this year that the justices are to blame for a pileup of prisoners on death row. But the evidence doesn’t support that argument. And state House Speaker Dean Cannon’s plan to … Continue reading
When discussing judges, the media and others routinely make a point of identifying the political party of the individual who appointed them, with the obvious intent being to convey the belief that a judge is politically and philosophically aligned with the person who appointed him or her. Of course, the underlying message is that, because the judge is politically and philosophically aligned with the person who appointed him or her, the outcome is likely to … Continue reading
Death Warrant Signed, Commission Killed July 1st, 2011 | Capitol News Service By Whitney Ray The death penalty is dead in Illinois beginning today, but in Florida it’s still very much alive. Governor Rick Scott signed his first death warrant. Now a man accused of killing a Coral Gables police officer more than 30 years ago is set to die. As Whitney Ray tells us, Manuel Valle will be the first Florida prisoner killed with a … Continue reading
Editorial: State must fix funding for courts Jun. 29, 2011 | News Press The fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants funding for court systems across Florida is intolerable. A stable, adequate source of revenue for the system must be found, even if it means a special session of the Legislature. The courts provide one of the most basic, essential government services, mandated by the Florida Constitution. The orderly, timely adjudication of criminal and civil cases is necessary for society to function … Continue reading
Courts face funding crisis News Press | June 28, 2011 Judge: System could be broke by fall This week marks the start of what will be a tenuous budget year in court systems across the state, with revenue sources shriveling and a heavy reliance on loans just to keep dockets moving. The courts are entering the new fiscal year July 1 with no money and the pledge of an additional $54 million loan from the … Continue reading
Watch a video of the HJR 7111 Floor Debate right here.
Four past, current justices given independence awards By Stacey Singer, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 14, 2011 PALM BEACH – At their annual state association dinner on Saturday, criminal defense lawyers spent their evening defending not a person, but an idea: the concept of separation of powers in Florida government. West Palm Beach attorney Richard Lubin presented judicial independence awards to two current and two former Florida Supreme Court justices with West Palm Beach ties. He … Continue reading
“The history of Texas courts is indeed a sclerotic one. But all’s well that ends well, and even a helter-skelter judicial structure might be worth the strife if it still managed, despite itself, to produce efficiency. Ours hasn’t.” Click here to read opinion from Texas Supreme Court Justice blasting the split court system some Florida lawmakers want to emulate.
This State law battles could be costly By Catherine Whittenburg | The Tampa Tribune Published: June 04, 2011 TALLAHASSEE — For the second time this week, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it is hauling Gov. Rick Scott into court — this time, over a controversial makeover of Florida’s election laws — as another group prepares to sue him over a new law restricting what doctors can ask their patients. More court challenges are expected … Continue reading
Cut the governor’s power By The Palm Beach Post, Posted: 7:45 p.m. Friday, May 27, 2011 Without Jeb Bush and the Legislature, the judge who stands accused of damaging the entire Florida court system never could have become a judge. Paul Hawkes had an undistinguished career during 14 years as a lawyer. But the ex-legislator became part of the Bush administration in 2000. For the next two years, he was chief of policy for the House. In early 2003, Mr. … Continue reading
Florida death-penalty process is overdue for review May 27, 2011|By Raoul G. Cantero & Mark R. Schlakman | Special to the Sentinel A commission established by the Florida Legislature almost 15 years ago to monitor the administration of justice in death penalty post-conviction proceedings has itself been sentenced to death. The unintended consequences may be significant. The Commission on Capital Cases, a relatively obscure entity, was abolished earlier this month purportedly to “save” $400,000 in … Continue reading
Our Opinion: Governor needs to veto court study Tallahassee Democrat, Published: May 24, 2011 Gov. Rick Scott has made efforts to avoid what he considers politics-as-usual and simply march to his own drummer to the tune of corporate America. Against his inclinations, however, the governor finds himself drawn into political back-scratching predicaments where, to get what he wants, he has to do what powerful legislators want. Case in point is a ridiculously large — because … Continue reading
OPPAGA gets ready to bid out Supreme Court workload study By Gary Blankenship, Senior Editor The Florida Bar News A legislative agency charged with contracting a study of Florida’s Supreme Court will soon be seeking proposals from companies and agencies for that job. Lawmakers appropriated up to $400,000 to study splitting the Supreme Court into criminal and civil divisions and whether the court is efficiently and qualitatively handling its workload. That appropriation came in the … Continue reading
My Word: Policy wins over politics By David Simmons Orlando Sentinel 12:00 AM EDT, May 22, 2011 When I was elected to the Florida Senate in 2010, I did not expect that the greatest challenge of the 2011 session would be stopping an attempt by the speaker of the Florida House to split the Florida Supreme Court into two parts, civil and criminal divisions. It would have increased the size of the court from seven … Continue reading
‘Taj Mahal’ courthouse judge must go St.Petersburg Times Editorial, Thursday, May 19, 2011 The arrogance, bullying and duplicity of 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Paul M. Hawkes has been well documented. Now new charges from Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission have uncovered even more evidence that Hawkes, a former political operative who orchestrated the building of the “Taj Mahal” courthouse in Tallahassee, is not fit to sit on the bench. From ordering the destruction of … Continue reading
Rating Florida’s Senate: Leaders and letdowns The Orlando Sentinel May 15, 2011 The extremist political agenda in Tallahassee this session sometimes proved too hot even for Central Florida’s Republican senators to handle. Yet too often they, along with the region’s Democratic senator, were willing accomplices.Which forces us, in a year that saw lawmakers blitz programs for education, elections and the environment, to judge their performance on a curve. Otherwise, none would make the grade.
State Sen. Jack Latvala leveraged his vote to slow down conservative march By Michael C. Bender, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau May 11, 2011 Jack Latvala builds ever-shifting coalitions to temper some fellow Republicans’ efforts in the Legislature. TALLAHASSEE – State Sen. Jack Latvala failed to pass 29 of the 38 bills he sponsored this year, but he might have been the session’s most effective lawmaker. “Jack was the MVP,” said Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate. Latvala, 58, … Continue reading
Florida Legislature: From Machiavelli to Orwell Posted by Dick Batchelor on May, 11 2011 There are 120 members of the Florida House of Representatives, with 40 men and women in the Florida Senate. Given the Machiavellian manner in which House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos grabbed control of the Legislature and the budget, not to mention substantive legislation, perhaps there is need for a smaller House and a smaller Senate, with only Cannon, … Continue reading
Republican court overhaul fell short of original goal By Adolfo Pesquera, Daily Business Review | May 11, 2011 So sweeping was the breadth of changes the Legislature intended to inflict on the Florida judiciary, it helps to summarize the session by listing what won’t happen. The state Supreme Court won’t split in two, and it won’t be packed with three new Republican-picked justices. The Florida Bar won’t be removed from the selection of Judicial Nominating … Continue reading
Attack on judicial independence Herald-Tribune | May 10, 2011 Resistance was not futile. Because a small band of state senators — including Nancy Detert, a Sarasota County Republican — resisted pressure from their party’s leadership, a proposal to undermine judicial independence and further politicize the appointment of judges in Florida was defeated. These conservative contrarians, who held fast to their belief in the separation of powers, deserve credit from all Floridians who hold the same … Continue reading
Cannon’s $400,000 folly If at first you don’t succeed, finance a study Tallahassee Democrat | May 10, 2011 House Speaker Dean Cannon’s petulant ambitions to reform and rein in the state Supreme Court do nothing to enhance his reputation, or Florida’s. On Sunday, the New York Times marveled at Mr. Cannon’s “brazenly partisan court-packing plan” and “specious arguments” about problems to be solved — which were debunked. Mr. Cannon’s plan to split the court into … Continue reading
No good reason to squander $400,000 to study a Supreme Court makeover The Orlando Sentinel | May 7, 2011 House Speaker Dean Cannon’s politically driven proposal to divide and pack the Florida Supreme Court is dead — for now. It expired this week after running into bipartisan opposition from senators who recognized it as an assault on the independence of the state’s highest court. But because the speaker won’t take no for an answer, the … Continue reading
New York Times EDITORIAL Published: May 7, 2011 A handful of Republican state senators in Florida bucked G.O.P. leaders last week to help Democrats block a brazenly partisan court-packing plan from gaining a place on next year’s ballot. Championed by the state’s Republican House speaker, Dean Cannon, and approved by his chamber, the plan called for expanding the Supreme Court from seven to 10 justices, and splitting the bench into two separate five-member divisions for … Continue reading
Vindictive speaker helps abolish the state death penalty commission News-Press | May 5, 2011 How much is life-and-death information worth? We have an answer: $370,000. That, apparently, is too much. The Florida Commission on Capital Cases was eliminated Thursday in an unexpected, undiscussed, unfathomable conference of legislators. The House put into a budget conforming bill – late in the session, without any previous hearings, at an Appropriations Committee meeting – repeal of the state law … Continue reading
Legislature passes overhaul of state courts The Miami Herald| May 5, 2011 The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers have put a watered down court-system overhaul on the November 2012 ballot, where it’ll need 60 percent voter approval. The proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 7111) received final legislative approval in the Senate by a 24-11 vote – the bare minimum needed for passage. The Senate earlier removed a provision from the House proposal that would … Continue reading
Backsliding after the Sansom scandal? By Gary Fineout | May 05, 2011 One of the things that did change in the wake of the arrest of former House Speaker Ray Sansom is that lawmakers changed the way they handled the state budget. Sansom was charged with using his power as budget chairman to slip in $6 million for a project being sought by a developer and donor. The charges against the Destin Republican were dropped … Continue reading
Florida Senate Approves Controversial Overhaul of state Supreme Court The Wall Street Journal, Law Blog | May 4, 2011 The Florida Supreme Court (pictured) has been the subject of close legislative scrutiny in recent weeks, as lawmakers in the Sunshine State have been contemplating splitting the court into civil and criminal divisions — a proposal that critics have derided as a partisan effort to allow Republicans to appoint like-minded jurists.
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NEWS For Immediate Release: May 4, 2011 In a short-lived victory for Floridians, clearer heads prevailed in the Senate when they rejected the House’s plan to split the Supreme Court into civil and criminal divisions, add more justices and give the Governor the power to appoint the chief justice. But tucked in the budget agreement between the House and the Senate is $400,000 to fund a study of whether a split court would be more … Continue reading
The House proposes, the Senate disposes By Howard Troxler, The St.Petersburg Times | May 4, 2011 Some people say Florida should switch to a one-chamber Legislature, like Nebraska. The theory seems to be the fewer politicians, the better. Not me, Jack. Can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve muttered to myself: “Thank God for the Senate.” (I say this about the House once in a while, but not as often.)
Cannon’s Supreme Court changes get budget love By Kathleen Haughney May 4, 2011 10:46 AM Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel House Speaker Dean Cannon may not have gotten a total win on his Supreme Court reform plan after the Senate refused to go along with his plan as a whole, but he isn’t completely letting the issue die. Tucked inside the budget is $400,000 for a study to review and make recommendations on how the Supreme … Continue reading
Court splitting study gets $400k in budget The Florida Times-Union PolitiJax Blog | May 4, 2011 Tucked in the legislature’s $70 billion budget is $400,000 for a study to, among other things, look at whether the Supreme Court could be “enhanced” if it were split into civil and criminal panels. If you recall, expanding and splitting the Supreme Court was a top priority of House Speaker Dean Cannon, but he could not get the plan … Continue reading
