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Rick Scott asked to respond to judicial appointments lawsuit

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The Florida Supreme Court has asked Gov. Rick Scott to respond to a lawsuit claiming he doesn’t have authority to appoint three new justices on the last day of his term. The court on Friday gave Scott till July 5 to file a response, with theĀ League of Women Voters of FloridaĀ (LWVF) and Common CauseĀ having a July 17 deadline to reply to Scott’s filing. The organizations this week filed a petition for ā€œwrit of quo warranto,ā€ a court action against government…

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Progressive groups sue over Rick Scott’s judicial appointment power

in 2017/Top Headlines by

When Gov. Rick Scott appointed a conservative jurist to the state’s Supreme Court in December, he made clear he wasn’t done. ā€œI will appoint three more justices the morning I finish my term,ā€ he said, referring to the mandatory retirementĀ in early 2019 of the court’s liberal-leaning triumvirate of Justices Barbara Pariente, Peggy A. Quince and R. Fred Lewis. Now, two progressive organizations are saying to Scott: Prove you can. They say he can’t. The League of Women Voters of FloridaĀ (LWVF)…

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Supreme Court OKs taxing satellite TV higher than cable

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Satellite TV

Satellite-television service can be taxed atĀ a higher rate than cable TV, the Florida Supreme Court decided Thursday. Satellite companies had challenged the state’s 16-year-old Communications Services Tax (CST), which now taxes cable service at 4.92 percent and satellite at 9.07 percent. Those concerns, led byĀ DirecTV, said that difference wasĀ unconstitutional and asked for a refund. But the high court reversedĀ theĀ 1st District Court of Appealā€™s 2-1 decision, which said that taxing the two services differently is unconstitutional. Then-1st DCAĀ Judge SimoneĀ Marstiller, in her…

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In mock court, UF law students argue case echoing infamous FSU ‘Jane Doe’ lawsuit

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The black-robed justices who filed solemnly into a courtroom at the University of Florida law school Thursday morning were not the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, but they were announced as if they were. ā€œAll persons having business before the Honorable, the Supreme Court of the United States, are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the court is now sitting,ā€ a bailiff boomed out as students, law professors and attorneys with Holland & Knight — the…

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Supreme Court throws out school vouchers case

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The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will not take up an appeal on a high-profile school vouchers case. The decision comes as a major setback to vouchers opponents, including theĀ Florida Education AssociationĀ (FEA), the statewide teachers’ union, butĀ was applauded by school choice advocates. (Separate story on the FEA’s reaction here.) The courtĀ denied a request to review the case, but did not comment on itsĀ merits.Ā “No motion for rehearing will be entertained by the Court,” its 2-paragraph order said. ā€œWho is…

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Voters in Florida face crucial solar power decisions

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Voters in sun-bathed Florida will face a decision Tuesday that could weigh heavily on the use ā€” and cost ā€” of solar power in the state. The solar power industry is opposed to Amendment 1, a proposal to amend the state constitution that will appear on the ballot as “Florida Solar Energy Subsidies and Personal Solar Use Initiative.” Utilities ā€” including Florida Power & Light Co. ā€” have spent upward of $20 million trying to get the amendment on the…

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ACLU asks court to continue to block abortion waiting period

in Statewide by

A lawyer representing an abortion clinic told the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday that the state’s 24-hour waiting period would significantly restrict a woman’s right to abortion and asked justices to continue blocking the law until a lower court can decide whether it’s constitutional. The delays could lead to victims of domestic abuse being forced to forgo an abortion, or cause additional emotional distress for women who have a doomed pregnancy, said Julia Kaye, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer…

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