Freddie Stubbs
Freddie Stubbs's JournalRich withdraws Democratic Party-drawn redistricting maps
TALLAHASSEE -- Groups that backed the Fair Districts anti-gerrymandering reforms passed last year -- the League of Women Voters, Democracia, Common Cause and the Florida Democratic Party -- have crafted new congressional and state Senate maps.
And surprise: they would create more competitive playing fields for the minority party than the versions the Senate Reapportonment Committee is taking up and likely to pass this afternoon.
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But on Wendesday, Rich said it appeared the maps don't comply with the law has well as she wanted, and she withdrew them.
At least one fellow Democrat on the committee, Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, critcized the maps her leader had filed because she said they would diminish minority voting strength in a half-dozen seats.
more: http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2012/01/rich_withdraws_democratic_part.html
Florida bullies take notice
Collier judge upholds 'Stand Your Ground' stabbing death defense in teen's bus stop bullying
NAPLES — A 15-year-old who fatally stabbed his school mate will no longer face criminal prosecution.
A judge’s ruling, made public Tuesday, granted a motion to dismiss the second-degree murder charge against Jorge Saavedra in the death of 16-year-old Dylan Nuno on the grounds that he acted in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The State Attorney’s Office has indicated that it will not appeal the ruling.
Nuno’s family and friends criticized Collier County Circuit Judge Lauren Brodie’s decision, calling it “unbelievable” and “heartbreaking.”
“We know this wasn’t the right decision,” said Dylan’s aunt, Adriana Nuno.“(The judge) is showing those kids it’s OK to get away with murder.”
more: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jan/03/collier-judge-upholds-stand-your-ground-defense-ca/
Progressive Group Names 2011 Pa. Legislative Heroes
Liberal advocacy group Keystone Progress Monday named 20 Pennsylvania state representatives as its Legislative Heroes of 2011 based on their voting records over the past year. The organization works in favor of the progressive movement and aims to strengthen its voice in Pennsylvania.
All Democrats, the 13 Philadelphia winners included Reps. Louise Williams Bishop, Vanessa Lowery Brown, Michelle Brownlee, Mark Cohen, Lawrence Curry, Pam DeLissio, Babette Josephs, Michael O’Brien, Cherelle Parker, James Roebuck, Curtis Thomas, Jewell Williams, and Rosita Youngblood.
Reps. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), Robert Freeman (D-Northampton), Michael Gerber (D-Montgomery), Steven Santarsiero (D-Bucks), Michael Sturla (D-Lancaster), Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), and Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery) also received the award.
Keystone Progress recognized the 20 representatives for their support although they were sometimes part of a very small minority, such as with their opposition to the Castle Doctrine. The lawmakers also toed the progressive line on health care, unemployment compensation, the environment, voting rights and education.
more: http://www.politicspa.com/progressive-group-names-2011-pa-legislative-heroes/30413/
Obama Won’t Make Recess Appointments Today
Liberal groups hoping President Barack Obama would use the moments today between the first and second session of the 112th Congress to make a recess appointment of Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be disappointed.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that Obama would not be making any recess appointments today and declined further comment.
Several advocacy groups have been pushing Obama for months to make a recess appointment of Cordray while Republicans have gone to extraordinary steps to block Cordray and other Obama nominees, forcing the Senate to stay for pro forma sessions. Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have pledged to block Cordray until a new law is passed reforming the CFPB to dilute its power.
McConnell blocked a host of appointments at the end of 2011 after the White House refused to give him assurances that it would not make recess appointments during the holiday break.
more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/obama_wont_make_recess_appointments_today-211311-1.html?pos=hln
Special elections for representatives complicate Pennsylvania redistricting
Special elections next year may leave some Pennsylvanians wondering who speaks for them in the state House of Representatives.
The elections will decide who should replace six state representatives who are stepping down early. House officials said today that the new lawmakers will be picked by voters in districts redrawn under the 2012 redistricting plan — not the voters who elected the incumbents just last year.
The constitutionally required plan, which was approved by a special panel earlier this month and awaits ratification by the state Supreme Court, would reshuffle House and Senate districts to reflect population shifts based on the 2010 census.
Once approved by the state’s highest court — perhaps as early as January, but later if appeals are filed — the maps will be the basis for not only the special House elections but for primary and general elections for the next decade.
more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/12/special_elections_for_represen.html
Both lesbian moms have parental rights, Daytona court rules in custody dispute
They fell in love, moved in together in a house in south Brevard County and had a baby girl. Now they are fighting over who should raise the child. But unlike most couples, they are two women. One donated the egg. The other had it implanted into her womb and carried the child to term.
So which one is the mother? The woman who bore the child says it is she and she alone.
A circuit judge in Brevard County, writing that it broke his heart to say so, ruled that she's right. Under Florida law, a woman who gives birth is the mother. Last week, however, a state appeals court in Daytona Beach overturned his decision, saying the other mother has parental rights, too.
The 5th District Court of Appeal ruled that the U.S. and Florida constitutions trump Florida law and give parenting rights to both women. State law, it added, has not kept up with the times.
more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/south-florida-parenting/os-lesbian-custody-battle-florida-20111229,0,4690422.story
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