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James R. Wolf

Court overrules regulators regarding ‘flag drop’ races

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An appellate court on Tuesday unanimously reversed state regulators in favor of a ragtag north Florida horse track looking to become a “first-class (gambling) facility.” The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering last year rejected an administrative law judge’s tossing out of the state’s complaint that Hamilton Downs ran “flag drop” races contrary to its license. But a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the track, which it described as “an L-shaped…

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Appeal court splits over “cruel and unusual punishment” question

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A Tallahassee-based appeal court panel on Friday split 2-1 over whether a life sentence for touching an 11-year-old girl’s breast over her clothes is cruel and unusual punishment as banned by the U.S. Constitution. The 1st District Court of Appeal affirmed the “lewd or lascivious molestation” conviction and life sentence of Stephen C. Hanf, imprisoned at the Northwest Florida Reception Center in Chipley. A dissenting judge, though, said Hanf’s life without parole punishment is unconstitutional, calling it “grossly disproportionate” to the offense. “Cruel and unusual…

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