Last November, Floridians overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made it easier for the Legislature to repeal court decisions they don't approve of. Amendment 5 would also have stipulated that all appointments to the Florida Supreme Court be subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
That amendment, put on the ballot by the Legislature, grew out of an initial desire by former House Speaker Dean Cannon to split the state Supreme Court in half.
Despite the amendment getting rejected, a Florida House Republican presented another bill this year that critics charge would politicize the state's court system. Ocala's Peter Stone proposed HB 7033, which includes a provision that would change the requirements for appointment of members of judicial nominating commissions.
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2013.