Florida legislator ran for judge, used campaign donations from GOP partisans..lawsuit continues.

[madfloridian]

Contributions like this would not be allowed in a campaign for a judge's seat. His opponent filed an election suit against him, but so far it is getting no traction. So he is filing an appeal. This case should actually be getting wide attention, not just local.

I take a personal interest in this deal because this is just the type of activist judge we don't need on any bench. John Stargel is deeply tied to the religious community here. I know from experience with his office that he has his aides tell callers that abortion is a crime, a sin. They tell constituents that gays should choose the proper lifestyle.

Stargel even threatened to pass a law to keep the University of Florida from providing health care to domestic partners. There is no middle ground with him, never.

Election Suit Against Stargel Is Tossed

A judge has sided with Circuit Judge-elect John Stargel in the legal fight mounted by his opponent, Bartow lawyer Nat White, in the recent election. White contended Stargel, a former state representative, improperly shifted campaign funds for his legislative re-election to his campaign for a seat on the 10th Judicial Circuit bench. Stargel defeated White in the September judicial election.

...."The election year began with Stargel, then a Republican state representative, seeking re-election to the Legislature. In July, he decided to run for the new Group 28 seat in the 10th Judicial Circuit and brought all his re-election funds over to run for the bench.

State law allows a candidate to switch campaigns before the end of a qualifying period and bring funds from the old race to the new race.
But White, who was already in the judgeship race, contended that much of the money Stargel brought over from his legislative re-election campaign was from sources that could never have made donations in nonpartisan judges races. The regulations governing judicial races are set by the Florida Bar Association in attempts to keep the campaigns from becoming political, or at least partisan, but election laws are set by the state Legislature.

Donations from the Republican Party and from special interests like the tobacco industry could not have been accepted by White, but Stargel was allowed to move funds from those sources from the legislative race to his judicial race, White's lawyer said.

Stargel is very representative of the fundamentalist culture here in our area. It is so deeply ingrained here that it is almost a theocratically inclined area. I was raised Southern Baptist, but I had to leave the church because of this extreme group taking over in this area.

I wish Nathaniel White the best in his continuing pursuit of this. John Stargel is heading toward the bench with too many set ideas and notions. He got elected using money from those who believe like he does about divisive wedge issues.... a dangerous combination.

[Dr.Phool]

1. He sounds like a clone of Rhonda Storms.

But, no way, should a judicial candidate be allowed to do this. He appears compromised before he starts.

[madfloridian]

2. Actually, he is pretty much just that. He just comes off nicer.

I had some conversations with him personally when he first got elected...about saving the Florida State Library from privatization. He listened, he was caring...but he always did Jeb's bidding on every issue.