Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersOctober 12, 2017

Eight months after she lit statewide firestorm debates over the death penalty and Florida government separation of powers, and five weeks after she lost those debates in the Florida Supreme Court, Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala appears at peace. Speaking with a gathering of journalists Thursday morning, the controversial, still-new state attorney for Florida’s 9th […]

Scott PowersSeptember 1, 2017

Having lost her fight in the Florida Supreme Court to prevent death penalty prosecutions in her circuit, Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala vowed Friday to remove herself completely from the decision process. Ayala said her new policy of turning all potential death-penalty cases over to a panel of assistant state attorneys in the 9th Judicial […]

Scott PowersAugust 15, 2017

Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced Tuesday she has reformed a key juvenile justice policy in Orange County so that juveniles who are subjects of police reports inquiring about criminal charges, yet who are neither arrested nor ultimately charged, will not have criminal court records. Such cases involve situations where law enforcement officers decide they […]

Scott PowersJune 8, 2017

The Florida Supreme Court has remanded another murder case death penalty from Orlando, that of Bessman Okafor, and Gov. Rick Scott quickly reassigned it away from Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala. The move came with swift intervention from state Rep. Bob Cortes of Altamonte Springs, who asked the governor to keep the case from going […]

Scott PowersMay 4, 2017

In a friend of the court brief bound to raise state attorneys’ eyebrows throughout Florida, the Florida House is arguing that prosecutors have no discretion with regard to capital punishment, that the state Legislature’s intent was to rest all discretion with juries. The House filed the brief in the Florida Supreme Court case of Orlando’s State Attorney […]

Scott PowersApril 26, 2017

The Florida Supreme Court denied the first attempt by Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala to win back first-degree murder cases that Gov. Rick Scott reassigned to another state attorney. In denying Ayala’s emergency, non-routine petition to overturn Scott’s executive orders reassigning the cases to Ocala’s State Attorney Brad King, the Supreme Court concluded that the […]

Scott PowersApril 21, 2017

A twine noose taped to a postcard and nasty comments sent in the mail and via social media are showing racist hatred Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala is receiving as she battles in court with Gov. Rick Scott over whether she has the power to refuse to pursue death penalty prosecutions. The twine noose was […]

Scott PowersApril 21, 2017

A group of more than 40 former Florida Supreme Court justices, and judges, prosecutors and legal officials from throughout the country are filing an amicus brief supporting Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala in her power-struggle with Gov. Rick Scott, contending that the issues in their court battles are of national importance. “By seeking to remove […]

Scott PowersApril 18, 2017

Lawmakers looking to cut budget and staffing levels of Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala note that she has so many unfilled staff positions that the cuts should not affect performance, yet a statewide look shows her operation is pretty typical of state attorneys offices. Almost all of Florida’s state attorneys – as well as Florida’s public defenders, […]

Scott PowersApril 13, 2017

A coalition of groups led by the Advancement Project in Washington D.C. is filing an amicus brief charging Gov. Rick Scott with refusing to recognize voters’ will in the State Attorney Aramis Ayala case in the Florida Supreme Court. The coalition, including Civil Rights, immigration reform and labor groups, is characterizing Ayala as a criminal justice […]

Tag: Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit

Aramis Ayala moving on after losing death penalty battle

Aramis Ayala takes herself completely out of death penalty decisions

Aramis Ayala reforms juvenile justice policy: No charge, no record

Supreme Court sends Bessman Okafor sentence back, Rick Scott reassigns it from Aramis Ayala

House argues prosecutors have no discretion on death penalties

Supreme Court denies Aramis Ayala’s first writ to win back cases Rick Scott reassigned

Twine noose lowlights hate being sent Aramis Ayala’s way

More than 40 top judicial, prosecutorial officials to file in support of Aramis Ayala

Not just Aramis Ayala: Almost all state attorneys have lots of job openings for prosecutors, support staff

Amicus brief to charge Rick Scott with voter disenfranchisement in Aramis Ayala case