Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Martin DyckmanDecember 29, 2014

“We should keep the judiciary as far apart from politics as heaven is from hell.” That’s Burton Young speaking. No Floridian talks with more authority on the subject. But as he and others see it, politics is once again threatening to pervert justice in Florida. Is there a need to amend the Constitution? “God, yes,” […]

Martin DyckmanDecember 28, 2014

“We should keep the judiciary as far apart from politics as heaven is from hell.” That’s Burton Young speaking. No Floridian talks with more authority on the subject. But as he and others see it, politics is once again threatening to pervert justice in Florida. Is there a need to amend the Constitution? “God, yes,” […]

Martin DyckmanApril 6, 2014

Running for re-election in 1974, Gov. Reubin Askew limited his contributions to $300 per person — no more than $100 for each of the three phases of the campaign. The law allowed $9,000. Sen. Lawton Chiles went one better when he ran for re-election in 1976. He restricted his contributions to $10 a pop, or […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 13, 2014

Should the Florida Legislature want to pay a truly meaningful tribute to former Gov. Reubin O’D. Askew, who died Thursday, here’s how. Not just with fulsome praise, but with concrete action to protect something he cared deeply about: the integrity of Florida’s courts. First, the history. Although it wasn’t precisely a “midnight” appointment, Gov. Claude […]

Martin DyckmanDecember 8, 2013

With a new law practice to nourish, four daughters to educate, and major medical bills to pay, the last thing that Arthur J. England Jr. needed in 1974 was to run for the Florida Supreme Court. But the court needed him. With three justices under investigation for tawdry ethics and the court’s reputation in ruins, […]

Florence SnyderDecember 5, 2013

Arthur England was an unpretentious man. Unlike a lot of retired traffic magistrates, he did not want to be called “Judge” after he left the Florida Supreme Court in 1981. It was easy to forget that for all of his professional life, he really was the smartest guy in the room. England, who died Aug. […]

Martin Dyckman: Florida lawyers must purge politics from judiciary

Martin Dyckman: Florida lawyers must purge politics from judiciary

Martin Dyckman: Supreme Court ruling is a death warrant for democracy

Martin Dyckman: How to honor former Gov. Reubin Askew’s memory

Martin Dyckman: England helped save scandal-ridden Fla. Supreme Court

Florence Snyder: ‘Judge’ England was the smartest guy in the room