Anti-death-penalty prosecutor challenges Florida governor

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Anti-death-penalty prosecutor challenges Florida governor
Mike Schneider, Associated Press Updated 5:31 pm, Monday, March 20, 2017


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida state attorney says the governor overstepped his bounds when he removed her from a case after she pledged to not pursue the death penalty in any cases.

State Attorney Aramis Ayala filed a motion in court Monday asking a judge to allow her to present that argument in court.

"Every day State Attorneys here in Florida make important decisions on who to charge, what to charge and what to prioritize," Ayala wrote in the motion. "Giving the governor the tremendous and unfettered discretion to interfere in that decision making would be unprecedented and could undermine the entire justice system in Florida."

Gov. Rick Scott removed Ayala from Markeith Loyd's case and reassigned it to a prosecutor in a neighboring district after Ayala made her announcement against the death penalty last Thursday. Loyd is charged with first-degree murder in the killings of Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton and his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Anti-death-penalty-prosecutor-challenges-Florida-11014569.php

[msanthrope]

1. Seems local... not breaking. nt

[question everything]

5. We often have so-called local news with national implications

why the tight...?

[Archae]

2. There was an episode of "Law And Order" almost exaclty like this.

Governor wants to score political points over killing a murderer.

[yeoman6987]

3. It's all over local news. Both sides are pissed for different reasons

[question everything]

4. Wonder how it ended, if at all.

I don't know why some politicians, and many deplorables, are so blood thirsty

[GulfCoast66]

6. The attorney governor Skeletor picked to replace her is from my district

Republicans love local control until the locals do things they do not like. Several cities in Florida voted to raise their minimum raise so the republican legislature voted to remove that power from them.

But Scott may have overstepped here. Ayala was elected and she should be allowed to decide the cases in her districts.

And I love the anti death penalty move here in Florida. Hope the courts rule in her favor.