Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Melissa RossJanuary 11, 2016

When Mitt Romney said “Corporations are people, my friend,” at the 2011 Iowa State Fair, Citizens United was just over a year old. That U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing corporate personhood would go on to spark a national grassroots movement that its founders say is winning over both conservatives and liberals, who believe in the idea of […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 4, 2016

A little-used method of updating the U.S. Constitution recently got a boost from a top presidential contender. On Wednesday, Marco Rubio said he would support convening a convention of states to amend the Constitution. The obscure process, outlined in Article V of the Constitution, is a convention of state legislatures to propose amendments to the […]

Associated PressDecember 28, 2015

With a deeper-than-ever split between Republicans and Democrats over abortion, activists on both sides of the debate foresee a 2016 presidential campaign in which the nominees tackle the volatile topic more aggressively than in past elections. Friction over the issue also is likely to surface in key Senate races. And the opposing camps will be […]

Phil AmmannDecember 26, 2015

In June, during one of the best stretches of his presidency, Barack Obama strode through a West Wing hallway exclaiming, “Offense! Stay on offense!” It was a rallying cry for a White House that suddenly seemed to find its footing in the final quarter of Obama’s tenure. An Asia-Pacific trade agreement was moving forward, as […]

Associated PressDecember 13, 2015

There’s no legal or historical precedent for closing U.S. borders to the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, but neither is there any Supreme Court case that clearly prevents a president or Congress from doing so. Legal experts are divided over how the high court would react to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump‘s call for a temporary […]

Melissa RossNovember 13, 2015

Just as a closely watched U.S. Supreme Court case may strike down Florida’s death penalty sentencing laws, ACLU staff attorney Adam Tebrugge of Bradenton is discussing the death penalty Monday night in St. Augustine at an event sponsored in part by Amnesty International. The high court is reviewing what the New York Times calls Florida’s […]

Gary FineoutNovember 11, 2015

A long-running legal battle over Florida’s political landscape wound up back before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday where several justices sounded skeptical about the changes proposed by the Republican-controlled Legislature. The hope is that the court will soon end three years of lawsuits, court hearings and special sessions by finally endorsing a new map […]

Phil AmmannNovember 6, 2015

Federal law permits a significant lag time for political action committees in reporting specific candidate donations, often with waits as long as weeks or even months to say exactly who they gave cash. According to reporting by the Center for Public Integrity, Twitter’s emerging PAC, which is just beginning to make federal contributions, wants to […]

Melissa RossOctober 8, 2015

As happens every October, the U.S. Supreme Court has begun a new term, with a Florida death penalty case one of the major cases it’s weighing. At least six capital-punishment cases are on the high court’s docket, after a recent flurry of executions across the country have led to dramatic, last-minute appeals. On Tuesday, the […]

Melissa RossSeptember 1, 2015

Ousted Atlantic Beach Commissioner Maria Mark had a run-in with the police Monday night. As The Florida Times-Union reported, police say Mark tried to confront a resident who supported Mark’s opponent, new Commissioner-elect John Stinson. Mark told the T-U the last straw was a “hateful sign” in the homeowner’s yard that “stated Mark should have […]

Tag: Supreme Court
Kathleen King and Joe Gruters. Image via Max Goodman.

“Move to Amend” rolls through Florida with pushback to Citizens United ruling

Marco Rubio backs little-used method to amend Constitution

Activists predict abortion will be hot issue in campaigns

In final year, Barack Obama seeks to stave off lame-duck status

No consensus about legality of Donald Trump’s idea of Muslim ban

Florida’s death penalty reviewed by U.S. Supreme Court, discussed in St. Augustine

Supreme Court considers changes to Florida’s political map

Twitter #PAC to blaze transparency trail in 2016, offer full disclosure on donations

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Florida death penalty case

LGBT equality movement stirs cross-currents in Florida