Republican Party of Florida works to remove state Supreme Court justices

[seafan]

Source: Tampa Bay Times

TALLAHASSEE — The Republican Party of Florida waded into a traditionally apolitical fight Friday, announcing it will oppose the retention of three state Supreme Court justices on the November ballot.
In a statement released by its spokeswoman, the party said its executive board voted unanimously this week to oppose Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince in November's retention elections. The justices do not face opponents, but voters are asked every six years to vote yes or no on whether they should remain on the job.

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Supporters of the justices accused the state GOP of using the merit retention vote, and the case, as a subterfuge to try to seize control of the courts. If a majority of voters reject the justices, Republican Gov. Rick Scott will have an opportunity to appoint their replacements.

"The Republican Party has demonstrated with this decision that there are special interests in this state that not only want to control all three branches of government, they want to own all three branches of government," said Dick Batchelor, a former Democratic lawmaker now working with Defend Justice from Politics, an advocacy group. "The question for the public now is, do we want an independent judiciary, or do we want to surrender the sovereignty of the court to a political Legislature?''

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"The announcement that the Republican Party is engaged in this effort would shock those wonderful Republican statesmen who helped create the merit selection and merit retention processes," said Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, former president of the American Bar Association who, as a former legislator, helped to craft the law in the early 1970s. "Surely we do not want to go back to the broken past."

Read more: www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/republican-party-of-florida-works-to-remove-state-supreme-court-justices/1252832

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GOP House Speaker Dean Cannon has been gunning for the state Supreme Court for years, out of revenge, in retaliation for earlier rulings by the Court to remove unconstitutional, deliberately misrepresented, Republican-crafted amendments from the ballot.


Plan to overhaul Florida Supreme Court clears a Republican committee, March 17, 2011

FL GOP House Speaker Dean Cannon's court reform proposal is attempt to stack deck for redistricting, April 8, 2011



These extremist Republicans controlling the Florida Legislature never quit; there are eleven new lengthy and confusing amendments matching the above description that will appear on November's ballot.



South Florida Sun-Sentinel: All 11 amendments are a bad bet, September 2, 2012


Florida Trend: Tagged 'Florida-Amendments-2012', September 4, 2012


Tampa Bay Times: Florida voters facing a long, long ballot in November, September 10, 2012


Bob Graham in the Tampa Bay Times: Florida: Prepare for another voting fiasco, August 28, 2012



It has never been clearer, Floridians, that we MUST vote into power a Democratic Legislature in November. It is the only way we have to put a check on Rick Scott and the current GOP Legislative battering ram.


Florida is screaming out for relief from these lifeblood-sucking parasites.

[Enthusiast]

1. These fuckers are just evil.......nt

[Divine Discontent]

2. ditto what post #1 says, cuz, wow, they are so damned extremist and always out to find

ways to grab power and influence that they shouldn't have



Get it here --->>>
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