Florida's Supreme Court has upheld the state's current congressional redistricting map, rejecting a challenge over the elimination of a majority-Black district that was pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In a defeat for supporters of a proposal aimed at enshrining abortion rights in the state Constitution, the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for a revised “financial impact statement” to appear on the November ballot.
Once nominated by the governor and ratified by the legislature, Florida Supreme Court justices face the voters in a “yes” or “no” vote as to whether they should remain in office in the first general election after selection and again every six years. (More about the process in the Supreme Court’s Guide for Florida Voters.)
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Continuing to make major changes in the state’s death-penalty system, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday scrapped a longstanding legal requirement of reviewing death sentences to determine if they are “disproportionate” punishment. Justices, in a 5-1 ruling, said such reviews are not authorized by state law and pointed to “erroneous precedent” by the Supreme Court. The majority ruling was one of a series of opinions this year in which the Supreme Court has reversed course on death-penalty and criminal legal precedents. As a result, no longer is this court required to review death sentences for proportionality. “In contrast, victims and the state have strong interests in this court’s upholding death sentences obtained in compliance with (a section of state law).
