Yes, they are late to the party.
Posted on 09/22/2012 4:20:06 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
TALLAHASSEE -- The Republican Party of Florida waded into a traditionally apolitical fight Friday, announcing it will oppose the retention of three state Supreme Court justices on the November ballot.
In a statement released by its spokeswoman, the party said its executive board voted unanimously this week to oppose Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince in November’s retention elections. The justices do not face opponents, but voters are asked every six years to vote yes or no on whether they should remain on the job.
The party statement singled out a 2003 case by the court as its main reason for its unprecedented decision to oppose the justices. In the case, Quince and Pariente voted with former Justices Harry Lee Anstead and Raoul Cantero to order a new trial for Joe Elton Nixon, who was sentenced to death for the 1984 murder of Jeanne Bickner in Leon County, because of unfair legal representation.......
Nixon, who was convicted of tying Bickner to a tree with jumper cables and setting her on fire, argued during a lengthy appeals process that he never gave his attorney the authority to admit his guilt to the jury, violating his right to a fair trial.
The high court agreed with him in the 5-2 ruling but, in 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court voted unanimously to overturn that decision.....
Supporters of the justices accused the state GOP of using the merit-retention vote, and the case, as a subterfuge to try to seize control of the courts. If a majority of voters reject the justices, Republican Gov. Rick Scott will have an opportunity to appoint their replacements.....
....The decision by the state GOP to enter the debate allows the party to use its fundraising heft to steer money into opposition campaigns.......
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
They are just jumping on the bandwagon. There is a concerted effort by all the tea party groups in this state to oust them and has been going on for months now. This will add some prominence to the issue but the former justices mentioned were also booted out because of a similar campaign.
It’s high time for judges to be ousted for their ridiculous rulings.
If the case in question was 9 years ago then why didn’t the Florida GOP oppose them the last time they were up for retention? What’s the real reason for the opposition?
The judiciary and justice are best served with a high turnover rate on the bench!
Because....
They believe the votes will get behind this.
They believe this will bring more votes to the GOP ticket.
See post #2. Maybe that is the answer.
Good. While the left likes to portray the judiciary as “apolitical”, nothing could be further from the truth.
“It’s high time for judges to be ousted for their ridiculous rulings.”
Yay!
Throw their lamea$$e$ OUT!
Unfortunately, a number of these liberal judges have been appointed by Republican governors over the years
Regardless of the party...we seem to get liberal Florida Supreme Court Justices. And, judging by the way he has supported the Black Racist groups in the George Zimmerman case...looks like Rick Scott will be picking more liberal justices.
I vote “no” on every judicial election, but it just seems we keep getting the same liberals
bttt
Welcome to FR - if 3 months late.
“Unfortunately, a number of these liberal judges have been appointed by Republican governors over the years”
You mean Republican governors like Charlie Crist? Bwahahaha!
Yes, they are late to the party.
These three judges are the worst of the worst....
..Lewis and Pariente were appointed by Democrat Lawton Chiles...and Quince was appointed by Jeb Bush (supposedly because she had already been appointed & was in the vetting process when Bush arrived, and he didn't want to stop the process)
Bump!
It’s about time they took a stand. I always vote “No.”
pretty sure it has to do with the fact that these 3 justices ruled against nationalized healthcare being on the ballot for the PEOPLE to vote down.
I always have voted no on retaining judges I think they should have terms and then go back to the real world they have helped mold.
GOP legislatures should impeach judges. After the GOP wins the Senate and retains the House, they ought to impeach Chief Justice Roberts because of his ObamaCare decision, where he caved into outside pressure. Roberts lacks the judicial temperament. He ought to resign, but he’s a coward. Impeach Roberts.
Thanks Cincinatus’ Wife.
“Unfortunately, a number of these liberal judges have been appointed by Republican governors over the years”
You mean Republican governors like Charlie Crist? Bwahahaha!
Try Jeb Bush....
Impeaching Roberts might be the one thing that ends the complicit silence of GWB!
I know what I am talking about. I live and vote in Florida.
Since Bob Martinez became the first GOP guv in Florida in the late 1980s...the GOP has been appointing judges just as bad as the DNC...and not just the FL Supremes....it goes down to Appelate and District Courts.
I vote “no” on every judicial retention vote
That's only one of the cases, but being the most visible, it was used as an example. The climate has changed over the last 4 years and the time is ripe to implement some justice (sadly lacking in these three) and to help stir up support and enthusiasm in Repubicans (and Conservatives) for November.
Then why point to a 9 year old death penalty case?
Try Jeb Bush....
When did Jeb Bush take office?
77. Barbara J. Pariente (Palm Beach) Dec. 10, 1997 Appointed .. On ballot 2012
78. R. Fred Lewis (Dade) Dec. 7, 1998 Appointed .. On ballot 2012
79. Peggy A. Quince (Hillsborough) Dec. 8, 1998 Appointed .. On ballot 2012
bttt
certainly couldn't do any worse and might bring some common sense to the bench
.
Howsabout we go after the chief “justice” of the suprime court?
HUH??
(caps locked out deliberatly.)
And for those of us with long memories:
Anstead, Pariente, Lewis and Quince concurred with
“The Petition of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney for Stay of this Court’s Order Pending Review of Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court is hereby denied.”
see:
http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/pub_info/election/index.shtml
I’ve been voting against them since 2000.
Because the news to these idiots is that the FL GOP is getting behind ousting them and the Miami Herald had to point to ‘something’ that was causing it :)
Bush took office in 1999. These are Dem Lawton Chiles appointees.
“Supporters of the justices accused the state GOP of using the merit-retention vote, and the case, as a subterfuge to try to seize control of the courts.”
No, actually, it’s called holding them ACCOUNTABLE. If they don’t like it, there’s always life on the outside.
I’ll take it. I have voted against every one of the Kangaroo Court Florida Black Robed Donkeys every election since their 2000 attempt to change the law to suit Al Gore.
Besides, Obamugabe has taken on the entire Supreme Court in his State of the Union Lie Fest...so this is nothing for the libs to bitch about.
Excuse me? Who the H are you to be telling me that since you have no idea in what I have been telling people for years to vote no automatically for all Judges? As far as I am concerned, there may be a few good ones out there but until those few figure out a way to clean up their own swamp, I'll still use the dragnet approach to clean out the swamp. Same goes for Muslims.
You had better get your estrogen in check before flying off the handle like that. Civility has long since left the station so if you meant it in another direction, you had better revise and extend your remarks before the flames really start to shoot.
“The judiciary and justice are best served with a high turnover rate on the bench! “
Amen! And so are the people....This should become a PERMANENT(Res Judicata) part of the Republican Party platform.
I already planned on voting them all out.
Awesome news!
More of these scumbag “men in black” who make law from the bench - - like that faggot judge in San Francisco who arrogantly refused to recuse himself, and then ruled (”moved the strike zone”) for the faggot lobby - - need to be removed.
That's an excellent point.
These three Marxists, appointed by Lawton Chiles (rat) also found school vouchers to be unconstitutional.
I would hope so. I only wish they'd find other entitlements unconstitutional, but I guess that's too much to expect.
You forgot Claude Kirk, who preceded Martinez by 20 years. The first GOP Governor since Reconstruction.
>>Anstead, Pariente, Lewis and Quince concurred with
“The Petition of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney for Stay of this Court’s Order Pending Review of Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court is hereby denied.”
THANKS! We moved to FL recently and had no idea how to vote re: judge retention. Your post has really helped!
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