florida supreme court

June 22, 2022 - Soon Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will have appointed a majority of justices on his state's Supreme Court, just as it considers striking down precedents guaranteeing abortion rights. He's considering a judge who'd bring to the court sorely needed gender and racial diversity — but not ideological diversity.

April 21, 2022 - Over protests by the state's Black lawmakers, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed his fellow Republicans to adopt a congressional district map that is expected to slash the number of Black representatives for the state. The new map could be challenged in court, but appellate courts have recently sided with the GOP in voting rights cases. 

September 29, 2021 - Governors and legislatures across the South have banned public schools from requiring masks to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The bans have been successfully challenged in lower courts, but appellate courts overturned some of those rulings. Federal courts in several states are taking up the question of whether mask mandate bans violate the rights of students with disabilities.

May 21, 2021 - Republican state legislators across the South are making it harder for voters to cast a ballot. Voting rights groups and local officials are suing over the changes, which they argue will disparately impact voters of color and those with disabilities. But the judges with the final say are mostly Republicans.

October 29, 2020 - Legal experts have warned that election results could be delayed for days due to all of the mail-in ballots and litigation over voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This could open the door to federal courts intervening — or legislators deciding who won the presidential election in their state.

September 9, 2020 - High courts in Arkansas and Florida have blocked ballot measures that would have required nonpartisan redistricting and banned assault weapons. The courts cited new laws that raise the bar for citizens to put constitutional amendments on the ballot.

July 28, 2020 - A federal appeals court is allowing Florida to enforce a law that requires payment of court fines and fees before people with felony convictions can vote again. The court is still deciding if it's an illegal poll tax, and Democratic senators say two of the judges are violating ethics rules by remaining on the case.