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federal court

FAMU ‘thick accent’ case referred to mediation

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A lawsuit against Florida A&M University by a Belize native who claims she was wrongly fired is headed to court-ordered mediation. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker last Friday ordered a mediation report by July 27, and tentatively set a jury trial to begin Oct. 16 if the parties can’t resolve the case. Glenda McDougall‘s lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Civil court this August, was transferred to federal court in October, court dockets show. McDougall says the state’s historically black university wrongly got…

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Federal judge says ‘no’ to student promotions case

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From The Associated Press, reprinted with permission: A federal judge has turned down a request from Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart and six school districts to take over a lawsuit that challenges the state law preventing some students from being promoted to the fourth grade. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled Friday following an emergency hearing. His decision means that the dispute will head back to state court in Tallahassee. Department of Education and school district lawyers said the case belonged in…

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Federal judge bars enforcement of new Florida abortion law

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A federal judge in Tallahassee has temporarily stopped enforcement of parts of a new state law on abortion. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued a preliminary injunction late Thursday—one day before the new law was to take effect. His order also came the same week the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Texas law that clamped down on abortion access because it “unduly burden(s)” women’s reproductive rights. Hinkle referred in passing to Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt in his 25-page order. Planned…

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Florida files federal lawsuit to shut down Seminoles’ blackjack tables

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The state is demanding the Seminole Tribe of Florida immediately shut down blackjack tables at its casinos across the state, reports the Sun-Sentinel. The state late Friday announced it is filing a lawsuit in a Tampa federal court asking a judge to order the tribe to cease operations. Florida does not have legal jurisdiction over tribal reservations. The Seminoles were supposed to remove the blackjack tables this week. But the tribe filed a lawsuit seeking to keep blackjack and other…

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Seminole Tribe of Florida lobbies up with hire of Floridian Partners

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With its compact with the state of Florida expired and now in federal court to protect its multibillion dollar gambling interests, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has retained one of Tallahassee’s most prominent governmental affairs firms. Floridian Partners, the lobbying shop headed up by Charlie Dudley, was inked  this week to represent the Tribe before the Rick Scott administration and the Florida Legislature. What’s particularly interesting about this registration is, until recently, Floridian Partners had been signed with Las Vegas Sands, the gambling behemoth headed…

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$100M settlement for hundreds in Florida tobacco lawsuits

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A $100 million settlement has been reached between three major tobacco companies and hundreds of people who sued them for smoking-related deaths and illnesses in Florida federal court. The tentative agreement announced Wednesday involves R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. The deal resolves about 400 cases pending before a federal judge in Jacksonville, but does not affect thousands of other lawsuits pending in Florida state courts. “With respect to the cases pending in state…

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