Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressDecember 4, 2015

A judge has ordered a Florida newspaper to remove transcripts of telephone conversations from a story on its website about a jailhouse “snitch” who has testified in numerous cases. The order earlier this week from Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jack Schramm Cox says The Palm Beach Post’s publication of the transcripts violates Frederick Cobia‘s right to privacy. The […]

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 […]

Guest AuthorNovember 4, 2015

Lately I’ve been imagining the creation of a new office in the executive branch: a Therapist General to advise the president and the nation about psychological problems affecting U.S. citizens, groups and institutions. The person assuming the role could issue an annual report about the state of the nation’s mental health, investigate and report on […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 16, 2015

It can be perilous to predict the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case by the questions justices ask during the oral argument, but this once I’ll hazard a guess: Florida’s death-sentencing law is in deep trouble. The better question, in fact, is not whether Pensacola killer Timothy Hurst will win his appeal but how […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 15, 2015

It can be perilous to predict the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case by the questions justices ask during the oral argument, but this once I’ll hazard a guess: Florida’s death-sentencing law is in deep trouble. The better question, in fact, is not whether Pensacola killer Timothy Hurst will win his appeal but how […]

Bob SparksOctober 15, 2015

The end of the process for redrawing Florida’s congressional districts is in sight. It may be one cycle late, but if the Florida Supreme Court rules favorably on the recommended final map, candidates and potential candidates can make informed decisions. Last week, Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis signed off on one of seven maps […]

Associated PressOctober 13, 2015

Florida’s unique system for imposing the death penalty is encountering some skeptics on the U.S. Supreme Court. But it was not clear Tuesday whether a majority would find that the state gives judges too much power to decide capital sentences. The justices heard arguments in the case of inmate Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted […]

Associated PressSeptember 24, 2015

Standing before a rapt Congress, Pope Francis issued a ringing call to action on behalf of immigrants Thursday, urging lawmakers to embrace “the stranger in our midst” as he became the first pontiff in history to address a joint meeting of the legislators. Referencing the migration crisis in Europe as well as the United States’ […]

Associated PressSeptember 21, 2015

No handshakes, selfies or fist bumps when Pope Francis enters the House chamber for his historic speech to Congress. That’s the message from House and Senate leaders, who in a letter asked lawmakers to refrain “from handshakes and conversations along and down the center aisle during the announced arrivals of the Senate, dean of the […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 20, 2015

The U.S. Senate’s refusal to debate or vote on the Iran nuclear agreement is a national embarrassment. The culprit is clear: the 60-vote threshold required to stop a filibuster. It’s time to end the filibuster, a relic of the past that is contributing to gridlock and dysfunction. This week I sent a letter to Senate […]

Tag: U.S. Supreme Court
Image via AP.

Judge orders Palm Beach Post to remove “snitch” transcripts

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

Barry Mauer: The United States could use a Therapist General

Martin Dyckman: Why Florida’s death-sentencing law is likely in trouble

Martin Dyckman: Why Florida’s death-sentencing law is likely in trouble

Bob Sparks: Even Florida’s nonpartisan congressional maps are deemed unfair

U.S. Supreme Court reviews Florida’s death penalty

Pope Francis addresses religion, Islamic extremists, immigration in historic speech

No handshakes, fist bumps for pope’s speech to Congress

Vern Buchanan: Time to end the filibuster