Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Michael MolineNovember 15, 2018

A divided Florida Supreme Court has given judges permission to maintain Facebook friendships with trial attorneys, settling a divide between lower state appeals courts and siding with the majority of courts and ethics overseers in other states. The majority opinion, by Chief Justice Charles Canady, noted that the court hasn’t considered actual friendships between judges […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 12, 2018

The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission on Wednesday announced it would start accepting applications to fill three upcoming vacancies. Justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis, and Peggy A. Quince face mandatory retirement on the same day that term-limited Republican Gov. Rick Scott will leave office. Under the state constitution, judges and justices face mandatory retirement at […]

Jim RosicaAugust 17, 2018

Rachel Nordby, who’s been a deputy solicitor general for Attorney General Pam Bondi, is heading to the Shutts & Bowen law firm as a partner in the Tallahassee office, the firm announced Friday. Nordby, who starts Sept. 10, will be vice chair of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. Her hire follows another recent high-profile addition […]

Jim RosicaNovember 29, 2017

The “hot mic” has gone cold. In a one-sentence order, the Florida Supreme Court denied Gov. Rick Scott’s request to disqualify Justice Barbara Pariente from a pending case over his judicial appointment power. “The respondent’s motion to disqualify Justice Pariente is hereby denied,” it said, without elaboration. Scott “expects all judges to be fair and impartial,” […]

Jim RosicaNovember 28, 2017

“There is no there there” in Gov. Rick Scott‘s complaint that Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente is biased against him, say the plaintiffs in a case over his judicial appointment power. The League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause Florida responded Tuesday to Scott’s motion for disqualification against Pariente. It was filed earlier this month by […]

Jim RosicaNovember 20, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott is moving to remove Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente from a legal challenge to his judicial appointment power, saying she’s biased against him. Daniel Nordby, Scott’s general counsel, filed a motion for disqualification Monday. Scott’s decision follows Pariente “making disparaging remarks after the conclusion of the oral argument in this case on […]

Jim RosicaNovember 14, 2017

A conservative watchdog says it’s filed a public records request for emails from Justice Barbara Pariente and Chief Justice Jorge Labarga after what it calls “the justices’ overt political bias.” The D.C.-based Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) late Monday released a copy of its request to the Florida Supreme Court. It asks for copies of […]

Bob SparksNovember 9, 2017

What a year we’re having in Florida’s capital city. Just not in a good way. In April, we had the sad spectacle of Miami Republican Sen. Frank Artiles resigning from the Senate after uttering racial slurs in the direction of Jacksonville Democrat Audrey Gibson. Less than two weeks ago, incoming Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Clemens […]

Jim RosicaNovember 7, 2017

An attorney for Gov. Rick Scott has filed a public records request with the state Supreme Court over last week’s ambiguous “hot mic” conversation between Chief Justice Jorge Labarga and Justice Barbara Pariente. But Scott stopped short Tuesday of saying whether he will ask the two justices to recuse themselves from further involvement in a case over […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 6, 2017

All Florida state courts will be closed Friday as Hurricane Irma approaches and threatens most of the state, Chief Justice Jorge Labarga said Wednesday, citing the safety of court users, court staff and judges. An administrative order signed by Labarga includes a general statewide extension of legal time limits that cannot be met because of the […]

Tag: Jorge LaBarga
Image via Florida A&M University.

Supreme Court greenlights judge-lawyer Facebook friendships

Apply within: Panel starts process to replace Supreme Court justices

Personnel note: Rachel Nordby joins Shutts & Bowen

Barbara Pariente to stay on Rick Scott judicial appointments case

Plaintiffs pooh-pooh Rick Scott’s bias concern in judicial appointments case

Rick Scott moves to throw Barbara Pariente off judicial appointments case

Right-leaning watchdog now wants judicial emails after ‘hot mic’

Supreme Court brings new meaning to ‘oral arguments’

Rick Scott won’t say if he’ll seek recusals over Supreme Court ‘hot mic’ incident

All Florida courts to close Friday