Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Phil AmmannFebruary 14, 2016

About a quarter-century ago, a pack of Marlboro cigarettes sealed a friendship between the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Florida legal legend Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte. It was December 1991, during D’Alemberte’s tenure as American Bar Association president. Scalia had been on the bench about five years by then. He died Saturday at the age of 79. The two men […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 2, 2015

A bit of ancient wisdom in the legal profession holds that if the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. And if both the facts and law are against you? Argue jurisdiction: tell the court that it has no business hearing the case. Secretary of State […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 2, 2015

A bit of ancient wisdom in the legal profession holds that if the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. And if both the facts and law are against you? Argue jurisdiction: tell the court that it has no business hearing the case. Secretary of State […]

Bruce RitchieJanuary 8, 2015

When you drive past a huge shopping mall, office park or major housing development, you’re likely passing what planners call a “Development of Regional Impact.” Since 1972, Florida law has regulated these developments by requiring review and comment from state agencies and affected cities and counties. State planners can require developers to reduce harm to […]

Bruce RitchieJanuary 8, 2015

When you drive past a huge shopping mall, office park or major housing development, you’re likely passing what planners call a “Development of Regional Impact.” Since 1972, Florida law has regulated these developments by requiring review and comment from state agencies and affected cities and counties. State planners can require developers to reduce harm to […]

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 DyckmanSeptember 23, 2014

If the Legislature decrees that two plus two equals five or that water runs uphill, does that make it so? A similar question is percolating in the Florida courts. Does a blind trust constitute “full and public disclosure” of the financial interests of a public official? Common sense says no. A law passed in 2013 […]

Martin DyckmanJuly 23, 2014

Rick Scott needs to hear from Sandra Day O’Connor. Not that he’d listen. The retired justice, who must surely regret what has happened to the U.S. Supreme Court since she left, is devoting her time now to fighting for the independence of the judiciary. She has become a prominent and oft-spoken critic of what she […]

Martin DyckmanJune 12, 2014

It was one of those “There IS a God” moments when Gov. Rick Scott had to cancel a $10,000 per person fundraiser this month because his co-host was to be a convicted tax-evader who couldn’t legally vote for him. With all the lawyers and law-enforcement agencies at his command, how could Scott not know that […]

Tag: Gov. Reubin Askew

Jim Rosica: Sandy D’Alemberte has fond memories of Antonin Scalia

Martin Dyckman: Rick Scott is rich, and the disclosure law is poor

Martin Dyckman: Rick Scott is rich, and the disclosure law is poor

Bruce Ritchie: Former state planning chief wants new state process for reviewing major developments

Bruce Ritchie: Former state planning chief wants new state process for reviewing major developments

Martin Dyckman: Florida lawyers must purge politics from judiciary

Martin Dyckman: Florida lawyers must purge politics from judiciary

Martin Dyckman: Blind trusts protect the politicians, not the taxpayers

Martin Dyckman: Scott threatens the independence of Florida’s judiciary

Martin Dyckman: Scott’s voter suppression snares one of his contributors