The News Service of Florida
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the next governor — not Gov. Rick Scott — will have the authority to appoint three justices to the Supreme Court. The decision ends a long-running dispute about the power to appoint replacements for justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who will leave the court in January because of a mandatory retirement age.
Scott will leave office in January but maintained he had the authority to appoint the replacements.
“The governor who is elected in the November 2018 general election has the sole authority to fill the vacancies that will be created by the mandatory retirement of Justices Barbara J. Pariente, R. Fred Lewis, and Peggy A. Quince, provided the justices do not leave prior to the expiration of their terms at midnight between January 7 and January 8, 2019, and provided that the governor takes office immediately upon the beginning of his term,” Monday’s order said. The appointments could help shape the court for decades.
BREAKING NEWS: New Governor to Appoint Justices added by The News Service of Florida on
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So let’s hope DeSantis is elected Governor of Florida in Nov. 2018. Florida (or the rest of America) doesn’t need to have a Socialist governor appointing Socialist judges. We all saw the whack jobs and antifa goons recently go amuck (do they have any other mode of existing?) during the Kavanaugh hearings. Does any sane, rational human being want mindless goons like those having any actual access to power? Get out and VOTE! And make sure every citizen from the FL Panhandle has full access to a voting booth!
OMG! Does anyone in Florida really want someone as governor whose ads claim he supports law enforcement, but his record of support for LE only began after the crime rate in the state capital city he is mayor of rose to number one in the state? (BTW, he is still the mayor even though he is running for governor full time!) So does anyone want a governor who might holds other full time positions as he governs this state.
So, if any of these three retire before January 7 2019, Governor Scott can name their replacement? That would be what Peter Strozk and Lisa Page called “insurance.”