Free Republic

A federal judge hearing a challenge to a transgender health care ban for minors and restrictions for adults noted Thursday that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis repeatedly spread false information about doctors mutilating children's genitals even though there's been no such documented cases. The law was sold as defending children from mutilation when it is actually about preventing trans children from getting health care Hinkle said he will rule sometime in the new year on whether the Legislature, the Department of Health and presidential candidate DeSantis deliberately targeted transgender people through the new law. He raised some skepticism about the...

A record number of bills aimed at restricting the rights of LGBTQ people have become law in the past three years, but the majority of those that have faced legal challenges haven’t held up in court, according to an NBC News analysis, legal experts and the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed legal challenges against some of the laws. Just this year, state representatives introduced 491 bills aimed at restricting LGBTQ rights, with 77 of them becoming law, according to the ACLU. The majority of bills proposed and passed focused on limiting the ability of transgender youth to receive...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A federal judge ordered Florida to stop enforcing its ban against providing gender-affirming healthcare to transgender children for three families, according to newly-released court documents. On Tuesday, Judge Robert L. Hinkle, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, issued a preliminary injunction in favor of three families with transgender children in a lawsuit filed against dozens of Florida officials, including the Florida Surgeon General, the Florida Board of Medicine and its members, the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine and its members, the Florida Attorney General and Florida’s 20 State Attorneys. The...

Former State Attorney Andrew Warren will not get his old job in Hillsborough County, as the federal 11th Circuit Court has ruled that it does not oversee or have jurisdiction, over Warren's claim. "Today the court upheld the governor’s decision to suspend Andrew Warren from office for neglect of duty and incompetence," stated Gov. Ron DeSantis Communications Director Taryn Fenske

A Florida prosecutor suspended by Ron DeSantis for defying a new 15-week abortion law says a federal judge’s decision to send his reinstatement appeal to trial means a reckoning is coming for the state’s Republican governor. Andrew Warren, a Democrat, was removed as Hillsborough county state attorney on 4 August after saying he would not enforce the abortion ban or prosecute providers of gender transition treatment for young people. DeSantis cited Warren’s alleged “woke agenda” in reasons for his decision. At a hearing in Tallahassee on Monday, Judge Robert Hinkle denied motions from DeSantis to dismiss Warren’s lawsuit, and another...

A federal judge has blocked a Florida law which sought to prevent social media firms from taking down content from political candidates, saying the measure was "wholly at odds with accepted constitutional principles" of free speech. Judge Robert Hinkle, in a ruling late Wednesday, said the law passed by the Florida legislature and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis distorted the idea of free-speech protections by placing restrictions on certain social media platforms for moderating content. The measure was approved by the state in response to the "de-platforming" of former president Donald Trump and others by large social media firms which...

A federal judge appointed by Bill Clinton has prevented Florida’s Big Tech law from taking effect saying Big Tech is being censored. Ron DeSantis signed a law protecting Americans from Big Tech censorship and a federal judge has decided to protect poor little Big Tech. According to FOX News:

The Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and the Florida GOP won a federal court victory upholding Florida’s ban on ballot harvesting. Priorities USA, a progressive advocacy group, and other Democrat plaintiffs dismissed their claims in Nielsen v. DeSantis, a lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban on ballot harvesting which also aimed to force the state to count ballots that arrived after Election Day. The plaintiffs also dropped their claim that Florida needed to provide pre-paid postage on vote-by-mail ballots. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement on Sunday: Today’s victory is a win for Florida voters...

TALLAHASSEE — A Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe, a federal judge ruled Sunday. The 125-page ruling was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee. It involves a state law to implement a 2016 ballot measure approved by voters to automatically restore the right to vote for many felons who have completed their sentence. The Republican-led Legislature stipulated that fines and legal fees must be paid as part of the...

Neugebauer, Stenholm agree to face off in series of three debates this autumn BY P. CHRISTINE SMITH AVALANCHE-JOURNAL U.S Reps. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, and Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, have agreed to three debates in the fall. The freshman Republican is facing the 25-year Democratic veteran in the District 19 congressional race in November. The only caveat Stenholm issued is that he sees no need to stop at just three debates, said Robert Hinkle, Stenholm's campaign communications director. "We want to debate those three times, plus 10 more times, 20 more times," Hinkle said. The three proposed dates for the debates are...