Jeb Bush vs GOP Legislature: I'll appoint 55 judges, don't elect them.

[seafan]

Jeb Bush will rob the people of Florida until the bitter end, when he is forced out of power at the end of December.

This is his last opportunity to shoehorn in as many right wing judges as he can, especially in Broward County, the most populous and progressive Democratic bastion in the state... just a small part of Jeb's revenge for having his Broward Judicial Nominating Commission appointee, Reverend O'Neal Dozier forced off the commission for publicly calling Islam "a cult" recently.



Legal dispute over judgeships heats up

A lawsuit over whether judges should be elected or appointed could pit the Legislature against Gov. Jeb Bush and his administration.

BY GARY FINEOUT
July 14, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - A legal dispute over whether to elect or appoint 55 new judges across the state is on the verge of spiraling into a showdown over constitutional powers and could disrupt preparations for the fall elections.

Last week, the Judicial Nominating Commission for Miami-Dade County filed a lawsuit to block the election of the new judges, including six in Broward and four in Miami-Dade, and instead let Gov. Jeb Bush appoint them. The lawsuit, filed directly with the Florida Supreme Court, came less than two weeks before the period when candidates must officially qualify to run on this year's ballot.
Now some Democratic legislators are fearful that the Bush administration won't defend the law that created the new posts, and they are calling for either the Legislature or judicial candidates to jump into the legal battle.

snip

Another Democratic lawmaker, Sen. Rod Smith, wrote a letter Thursday to Senate President Tom Lee, asking that the Legislature get involved in the ongoing litigation.
Smith said the Senate and House struck a deal with Bush back in 2005 that called for letting Bush appoint 55 judges last year, while electing another 55 judges this year. Late in the session there was a push to appoint the second group of judges as well, but the Senate insisted on keeping the previous deal.

Smith called it an ''imperative'' that both the House and Senate respond to ''this challenge to legislative authority.'' Smith said that a ''lame duck'' governor, who leaves office in January because of term limits, should not get to make a lot of ``last-minute appointments.''

So far the GOP-controlled House has no plans to get involved. But a spokeswoman for Lee said the Senate is ready to get involved if needed.

snip

[seafan]

1. Breaking: Florida's Supreme Court denies block to judicial elections

The FL Supreme Court has stepped in and said NO to Jeb Bush and YES to the voters when it comes to choosing our judges. This is great news.

Most interestingly, the 2 dissenting judges are Jeb's appointees. What a surprise. Not.




Florida's Supreme Court denies block to judicial elections

Associated Press
July 14. 2006

Fifty-five new judges will be elected in Florida after the state Supreme Court denied Friday a petition to prevent the judicial elections.

A panel of nominating judges had sued the state, saying they wanted the governor to appoint the new judges instead. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, came just before next week's qualifying deadline for candidates running for state office.

The elected positions were created by the Legislature earlier this year. The Judicial Nomination Commission in Miami-Dade had argued that law is unconstitutional.

Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis and justices Charles Wells, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince concurred in the 4-2 ruling. Justice Harry Lee Anstead did not participate.

Justices Kenneth Bell and Raoul Cantero III dissented.

The commission had presented a strong argument that the new seats were court vacancies, which the state Constitution allows the governor to fill, Cantero wrote in his dissenting opinion.

snip