florida supreme court
June 3, 2020 -
Stacked with appointments from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Supreme Court is quickly overturning previous decisions that barred the death penalty for some defendants with intellectual disabilities and those who were sentenced by non-unanimous juries.
January 29, 2020 -
The voter registration deadline for Florida's 2020 primary election is approaching. A federal judge ruled that the state cannot require people with felony convictions to pay court fines, if they cannot afford it, to have their voting rights restored. An appeals court is reviewing that decision.
December 18, 2019 -
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointments have transformed the Florida Supreme Court, which will soon review nine constitutional amendments — including a $15 minimum wage — that were proposed by citizens.
October 24, 2019 -
When they took office, President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis both appointed high court justices that shifted a supreme court to the right. Both executives have relied on the conservative Federalist Society to suggest nominees, and both have faced criticism for appointing mostly white judges.
August 12, 2019 -
A group of activists is working to amend the Florida constitution to ban rifles and shotguns that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. But it's gathered only a fraction of the signatures required to get the ban on the ballot, and it's facing burdensome new rules for citizen amendments.
December 9, 2016 -
It's rumored that North Carolina lawmakers will consider a bill during next week's special session to expand the state's high court by two members, giving Republicans control back after they lost it in last month's election. The move would fit a broader national trend of court packing for partisan gain.
May 21, 2015 -
Nine states, four of them in the South, hold judicial elections but don't ban judges from seeking campaign cash from people that could appear before them. Following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a Florida case upholding such bans, judicial watchdogs are working to change the law in these outlier states.
