In a closely watched dispute about First Amendment rights, attorneys for a biologist who was fired because of a social media post after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk squared off against lawyers for the state on Monday.

A federal judge has blocked a key part of a new law that imposed additional restrictions on the state’s ballot-initiative process, saying a ban on non-Florida residents and non-U.S. citizens collecting and delivering petitions “imposes a severe burden on political expression that the state has failed to justify.”

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana have submitted more than 600,000 petition signatures as they try to put the measure on the 2026 ballot.

A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out.

A federal judge Friday cleared the way for a California-based company to continue pursuing a challenge to a 2024 state law that bans the sale and manufacturing of “cultivated” meat in Florida.

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a 2024 Florida law aimed at restricting children’s access to major social-media sites, ruling that industry groups did not show they had legal standing to fight the measure.

In the days after last week's plane collision in Washington, Pete Muntean was a fixture on the air at CNN.

A federal judge has continued to block the head of Florida’s health department from taking any more steps to threaten TV stations that air commercials for an abortion rights measure on next week’s ballot.

With a federal appeals court poised next week to hear a challenge to a Florida law that bars people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday at least temporarily allowed a Pennsylvania gun restriction on young adults.

Florida could face paying nearly $750,000 in legal fees for businesses that successfully challenged part of a 2022 law that Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act.”

A judge is overturning a Florida law pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that attempted to limit diversity and race-based discussions in private workplaces.

A federal judge on Friday heard arguments in a court battle over a law restricting educators’ use of personal pronouns and titles in schools, in one of a series of challenges to Florida policies targeting LGBTQ people.

Dozens of Republicans are competing for five of North Carolina's 14 congressional seats on Super Tuesday.

A federal judge overseeing the First Amendment lawsuit that Walt Disney Parks filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis and others is disqualifying himself, but not because of bias claims made by the Florida governor.

Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company’s First Amendment lawsuit.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking that a federal judge be disqualified from the First Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the Florida governor and his appointees.

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker has formally joined next year’s race for North Carolina governor.

A federal judge in Florida has blocked a law pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in colleges.

A coalition of college professors and students files a suit Thursday, claiming the law equates to “racially motivated censorship” meant to stifle discussion.

Former President Donald Trump’s winning streak in U.S. Senate primaries is on the line Tuesday as voters in five states cast their ballots in midterm elections.

Former President Donald Trump enters the next stretch of the midterm campaign emboldened by primary victories but facing new risks.

Portions of Florida election law are being reinstated by a federal appeals court while the state appeals a lower court’s decision that the law was aimed at suppressing Black voters.

When Ted Budd won a surprise endorsement from former President Donald Trump last year, he was a little-known congressman running for a Senate seat in North Carolina against some of the state’s most recognizable Republicans, including a former governor.

A federal judge in Tallahassee has ruled that Florida lawmakers overstepped their authority last year concerning an election reform law.

A federal judge has struck down portions of a Florida election law passed last year, citing what he said were subtle tactics by the Republican-led government to suppress Black voters.

Former President Donald Trump remains the most popular figure with the GOP base as he considers another bid for the White House.

A federal judge has blocked the University of Florida from enforcing a policy that restricted faculty members from providing expert testimony in cases that conflict with positions taken by the state of Florida.

A prominent U.S. Senate candidate in North Carolina has withdrawn from next year’s race for the Democratic nomination.

Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is among three top Republicans engaged in a hotly contested 2022 U.S. Senate primary.

Groups seeking stricter gun-control laws frequently have clashed with Republican leaders in Florida, a testing ground for National Rifle Association-backed legislation.

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that Florida’s new “anti-riot” law is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.

Florida’s new “anti-riot” law championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as a way to quell violent protests is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

A federal judge is considering claims that a new Florida law designed to deter violent public demonstrations is instead unconstitutionally chilling free speech and legitimate rights to protest.

Lawyers for the state are seeking to sidestep mediation ordered by a federal judge, in a legal challenge to a controversial law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis aimed at cracking down on violent protests.

The National Rifle Association on Wednesday went to a federal appeals court after a judge last month upheld a Florida law that prevents people under age 21 from buying guns.

Republicans are fighting to seize control of Congress.

Joseph Hatchett, the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court, lay in state Friday in the Supreme Court rotunda after his death last week at age 88.

The former president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is eyeing the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Republican Richard Burr. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)RALEIGH, N.C. – A Trump may be on the ballot next year — but not Donald Trump. The former president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is eyeing the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Republican Richard Burr. The answer to that question has implications that extend far beyond Lara Trump's political future. The 38-year-old Lara Trump is married to the former president's son, Eric.

But the North Carolina Republican’s vote to convict former President Donald Trump should not have come as a shock. AdWith Burr retiring at the end of his term in 2022, it’s a vote that could end up defining his career. Exactly a year later, as the Russia investigation was wrapping up, Burr’s time leading the committee came to an abrupt end. He sided with most Republicans in a vote to dismiss the trial, creating an expectation he’d also vote to acquit. AdSo when Burr stood up to vote for Trump's conviction, many in the chamber wondered if there would be other surprises.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – The $900 billion pandemic relief package that was rushed through Congress Monday created a familiar year-end conundrum for lawmakers: It was a bill too big to fail, and also too big to read. The Senate Historical Office says it's the longest bill they could find record of passing Congress. The bill was released at 2 p.m., just hours before the House and Senate began voting on it. Also in the bill: hundreds of unrelated legislative items negotiated by leadership to win support from various constituencies. “Members of Congress need to see & read the bills we are expected to vote on.

It was the first meeting between the teams at West Point since 1943. They had lost all three games played previously at West Point to the Midshipmen, including 13-0 in 1943 during World War II. Xavier Arline started for Navy, just the fifth freshman to start at quarterback for the Mids against Army. Army: The Black Knights have overcome a schedule that had to be almost totally revamped to rebound after a subpar 2019. He first took his place with cadets on the Army side of the stadium for much of the first quarter before joining Navy midshipmen in the second quarter.

The state has recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic early this year. Throughout the pandemic, federal and state judges -- including judges in the federal Northern District of Florida -- have conducted hearings through telephone, Zoom or other online platforms. “This court is cancelling all civil trials for a period of time, with the hope that an effective vaccine is on the horizon and new infection numbers will start to fall. To be clear, this is a decision I am making for my cases on my civil docket only,” he wrote. “This is not a uniform, district-wide order, and in no way should be construed as a limitation on any other judge in the Northern District of Florida.”

She soundly defeated Tipton, a co-chair of President Donald Trump’s Colorado reelection campaign, in the Republican primary in June. Republican state Sen. Stephanie Bice earned a reputation as a political moderate in her two terms in the Oklahoma Senate. ___11:20 p.m. TuesdayRepublican Maria Elvira Salazar has defeated Democrat Donna Shalala for a House seat in Florida. Republican Ronny Jackson has won a House seat in West Texas, where he moved after leaving the White House in 2018. The solidly Republican district is currently held by Mac Thornberry, one of six GOP congressmen in Texas retiring this year.

With seven hours remaining to register to vote Monday afternoon, the state voter registration website slowed down. On Tuesday, the state extended registration by seven hours. “We only had five complaints on Tuesday about the inability to use the online voter registration portal,” said Earley. Several voting rights groups filed suits to extend registration even longer. Federal Judge Mark Walker late Tuesday denied a motion to extend registration.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A legal challenge to a 2018 constitutional amendment that will end greyhound racing in Florida has gone to a federal appeals court. As is common, the notice does not detail arguments the plaintiffs will make at the 11th U.S. The lawsuit argues that the voter-approved ballot measure violates a series of rights under the U.S. Constitution, including equal-protection rights because horse racing will be allowed to continue at pari-mutuel facilities while dog racing will be blocked. Walker issued a 55-page ruling in April that dismissed a version of the lawsuit but allowed the plaintiffs to amend and refile it. But in his ruling last month, Walker quickly disposed of the amended version, saying that the plaintiffs “lack standing” to sue Moody over the ban.

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks to media on Capitol Hill in Washington. Ron DeSantis signed into a law a bill that would open up that market for college athletes in the state. The bill gives the NCAA until June 2021 to have new rules in place that will supersede states laws. These kids deserve to make a little bit of money while they're in college, Rubio said. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) examining names, image and likeness compensation for college athletes, though Rubio's bill was separate from that group.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The National Rifle Association and Florida officials will avoid mediation in a lawsuit challenging a 2018 state law that prevents people under age 21 from purchasing firearms, under an order issued this week by a federal judge. The law raised the age from 18 to 21 to purchase long guns, such as rifles and shotguns. Accordingly, the issues involved in this case are not amenable to mediation. Mediation would not be a productive exercise, nor would it be a worthwhile use of the parties, or the courts, resources, the lawyers wrote. In Mondays order granting the request, Walker wrote this court finds good cause has been shown why the mediation requirement should be waived.

The Southeastern Conference was the biggest spender, hiring three lobbying firms and paying them a total of $140,000, according to lobbying disclosure forms reviewed by The Associated Press. The Southeastern Conference was the biggest spender, hiring three lobbying firms and paying them a total of $140,000, according to lobbying disclosure forms reviewed by The Associated Press. The Big Ten paid $20,000 to the firms working for all the Power Five but did not hire its own dedicated lobbyist. The ACC and the Big 12 each spent $60,000 $40,000 on their own lobbyists and $20,000 on the Power Five firms. Both conferences had the same lobbyists last year, the first year either had spent significant money to influence members of Congress.

“By systematically awarding a statistically significant advantage to the candidates of the party in power, Florida’s ballot order scheme takes a side in partisan elections,” Walker wrote. Ron DeSantis’ administration and national Republican groups, who joined the case as intervenors, appealed Walker’s decision, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Wednesday in Atlanta. Arguing that a federal court “has no subject-matter jurisdiction” in the lawsuit, the state is asking the appellate court to reverse Walker’s order and dismiss the challenge. They succeed in carrying their burden on none of these elements,” the state lawyers argued.

iStock/allanswartIn separate but parallel lawsuits, civil-rights and legal groups are challenging Florida's use of solitary confinement in prisons and juvenile detention centers -- but are facing pushback from state agencies. "Unfortunately, it is clear that plaintiffs' purpose in bringing this lawsuit is not to gain relief from some violation of constitutional rights," the Department of Juvenile Justice motion said. Data provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows the state placed more than 14,000 children in isolation while in the care of the juvenile justice department during the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Outside of court, the Department of Corrections has defended its use of confinement as a safety measure. Michelle Glady, a department spokeswoman, told The News Service of Florida in May that confinement is used for security reasons or to effectively manage prisons.

"The Eighth Amendment requires prison officials to provide medical treatment that avoids serious consequences, not simply treat them after a prisoner becomes dangerously ill," the brief said. The long-running legal fight centers on the use of an expensive type of medication known as "direct acting anti-virals" to treat hepatitis C, a contagious liver disease that can be fatal. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in April ruled that the medication should be provided to all inmates with hepatitis C, prompting the state to go to the Atlanta-based appeals court. In the brief Friday, the attorneys for inmates wrote that the Department of Corrections refused to provide treatment "solely for financial reasons." The brief said experts have estimated that at least 20,000 inmates in state prisons have hepatitis C, a rate that is far higher than in the broader population.

Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Dec. 10 in a legal battle about whether two young adults can remain anonymous in a challenge to the constitutionality of a Florida gun law. The arguments will be heard in Atlanta, where the appeals court is based, according to information posted last week on a court docket. The appeals court had previously indicated the case would be heard in December but had not specified a date. The NRA later sought to add an Alachua County resident as a plaintiff and identify her as Jane Doe. It also sought to add to the case allegations related to another young adult identified as John Doe.

Siding with plaintiffs last year, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker found the state's voting-restoration process violated First Amendment rights and 14th Amendment equal-protection rights of felons. But siding with the state clemency board, the Atlanta-based federal appeals court blocked Walker's order from going into effect while the case remained pending. In the court filings Friday, lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote that the felons "are now eligible to vote under Florida state law, so this appeal is moot." "Because it now appears that all plaintiffs have satisfied any outstanding legal financial obligations, they have regained their right to vote, and their challenge to the executive clemency procedure is now moot," the state's lawyers argued. The drawn-out clemency process was the primary reason behind the push for the constitutional amendment, which received support from more than 64 percent of Florida voters last fall.fNews Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A federal appeals court is expected to hear arguments in December in a dispute about whether two young adults can remain anonymous in a challenge to a 2018 Florida gun law. The National Rifle Association filed the appeal last year after Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected an attempt by two 19-year-olds, identified in court papers as Jane Doe and John Doe, to take part anonymously in the challenge to the gun law. But opponents have argued that allowing them to remain anonymous would hinder public access to court proceedings. The NRA later sought to add an Alachua County resident as a plaintiff and identify her as Jane Doe. It also sought to add to the case allegations related to another young adult identified as John Doe.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Corrections this week asked a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling that requires the state to provide costly treatment to inmates who have been diagnosed with the early stages of hepatitis C.The department, represented by Attorney General Ashley Moodys office, filed a brief Monday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, as it battles a ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker that required the treatment for all inmates with the contagious liver disease. The state does not dispute that the treatment, which involves medication known as direct acting anti-virals, should be provided to inmates with later stages of hepatitis C. But attorneys contended in the brief that the state would not violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment if it did not provide the medication to prisoners in the early stages. This appeal raises the question whether the Eighth Amendment requires the Florida Department of Corrections to treat inmates with early-stage hepatitis C with a newly developed, yet expensive, course of treatment, the 37-page brief said. News Service of Florida

Ron DeSantis signed a new elections law, a federal judge has dismissed a long-running legal battle about the handling of mismatched ballot signatures. Both sides in the case said the new law resolved disputed issues about verifying signatures on vote-by-mail and provisional ballots. Lawmakers passed a bill (SB 7066) in May that made changes in the signature-verification process, and DeSantis signed the measure June 28. Attorneys for the Democrats and the state, however, disagreed on a final legal issue in the case. Democrats asked Walker to dismiss the case without prejudice, a term that leaves open the possibility of subsequent legal action.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Voters throughout the state will have access to Spanish-language ballots in time for next years presidential election, under regulations Gov. The notice referred to the states Puerto Rican American population and a lack of statewide uniformity for Spanish-language ballots. Last September, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued an order requiring elections supervisors in 32 counties to provide Spanish-language sample ballots but did not require Spanish-language ballots to be made available for the November elections, saying there wasnt enough time for supervisors to comply. In May, Walker required supervisors to provide Spanish-language ballots and other assistance to Spanish-speaking voters in Floridas March 2020 presidential primary election. Bilingual official ballots are necessary to protect the secrecy of Spanish-language voters ballots, to avoid potential intimidation of Spanish-language voters, to avoid mistakes and misunderstandings by poll workers about the proper provision of Spanish-language ballots, to avoid the possibility that not enough unilingual ballots are created or made available at each precinct, and to ensure that the voting process is fully inclusive of and effective for Spanish-language voters, the plaintiffs lawyers wrote.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A new state law may have resolved issues at the heart of a federal lawsuit about mismatched ballot signatures, but the legal wrangling hasnt ended. National and state Democrats, who filed the legal challenge last year, asked Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to dismiss the case after Gov. Its the second time the federal judge has had to weigh in on the process for handling mismatched ballot signatures. In 2016, Democrats filed a similar lawsuit, challenging signature-matching requirements for vote-by-mail ballots. Walker called the state law indefensible and said it threatened to disenfranchise voters.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Part of a new elections law that requires sufficient nonpermitted parking at early voting sites will create an unconstitutional burden on young voters attending colleges or universities, plaintiffs in a long-running dispute over campus early voting argued in documents filed Monday. Rick Scotts administration, which decided that certain campus buildings did not meet statutory guidelines for early voting sites. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in July 2018 ruled that the interpretation was unconstitutional and issued a preliminary injunction allowing campus early voting locations. In the November elections, that resulted in early voting on 11 campuses, with about 60,000 ballots cast, according to court records. The parking requirement also will have a negative impact on early voting sites in urban areas where parking is scarce, the lawyers argued.

The new law also creates a way for voters who cast provisional ballots to cure signatures that dont match those on file with elections officials. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in November sided with Nelson and the Democrats, issuing a preliminary injunction and giving extra time to cure ballots. The new law also addresses another of the plaintiffs complaints by creating a way for voters who cast provisional ballots to cure signature match rejections. And the law extended the deadline for voters to submit a cure affidavit to resolve signature discrepancies. Under the new law, voters who cast mail-in ballots and those who used provisional ballots have until 5 p.m. the second day after the election to submit the affidavits.