Robert Hinkle – Page 3 – SaintPetersBlog

Florida’s bill for opposing gay marriage? Nearly $500,000

Published on June 3, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Gary Fineout

Florida taxpayers are going to pay nearly $500,000 for the state’s losing battle to keep intact a voter-approved ban on gay marriage. State officials have now reached settlements with two separate groups of attorneys representing same-sex couples that challenged the state’s ban. Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s office reached a final settlement on Wednesday that brought the total to $493,000. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ordered the state in April to pay the fees of attorneys who successfully sued the state.…

Keep Reading

Florida cost for opposing gay marriage? $213,000 and rising

Published on May 24, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Associated Press

Florida is going to pay at least $213,000 for its losing battle to keep intact a voter-approved ban on gay marriage. State officials have agreed to pay that much to the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida to cover attorney fees and other costs. Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s office is also actively negotiating to reach a settlement with another group of attorneys also involved in the case. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ordered the state to pay…

Keep Reading

Court rejects Corrine Brown’s bid to throw out Florida congressional map

Published on April 18, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Jim Rosica

A panel of federal judges Monday shot down U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown‘s challenge of Florida’s congressional redistricting. In a 26-page order, the three judges said Brown had “not proven (her) case and that defendants are entitled to judgment in their favor.” The defendants include the League of Women Voters of Florida, Common Cause and others who last year forced a redrawing of Florida’s congressional district map. Brown had asked the court to set aside her redrawn seat, the 5th Congressional District. The Jacksonville Democrat has said her new district violates…

Keep Reading

Corrine Brown’s lawyer makes historical argument to keep district lines

Published on March 25, 2016 in 2017/Top Headlines by Jim Rosica

A lawyer for U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown on Friday told a panel of federal judges that Florida’s new congressional map flies in the face of 100 years of history and would do violence to the voting rights of her black constituency. William Sheppard argued that the former District, which meanders from Jacksonville through Gainesville to Sanford, follows the course of the St. John’s River, where black residents settled and stayed after fleeing discrimination and racist attacks early last century. Brown’s former 5th Congressional…

Keep Reading