Supreme Court keeps redistricting and health care amendments off the ballot

AUGUST 31, 2010

In two lengthy 22-page opinions, the Florida Supreme Court voted 5-2 to uphold two lower court rulings and removed Amendments 7 and 9 from the November ballot. Amendment 7 aimed to dislodge the redistricting amendments (#5 and 6) and Amendment 9 was a plebescite on Obama's health care reforms. In a third opinion, the court also threw off a property tax amendment, Amendment 3, written by the legislature, for faulty language.

Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justice Ricky Polston, the courts conservative members, were the opposing votes on the decisions relating to Amendmetns 7 and 9. The judges also precluded the circuit court from re-addressing the challenge to Amendments 5 and 6, filed by U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown.

Here are links to the opinions: Amendment 9, Amendment 7, Amendment 3, and Amendments 5 and 6.

Posted by Mary Ellen Klas at 3:17:22 pm on August 31, 2010 | Permalink | Comments |

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

Most Recent Blog Posts

How senators voted on anti-privatization "study" February 13

Split Senate defeats killer privatization amendment February 13

Democrats in the House push leadership to act on Brody, Dillon claims bills February 13

Sen. Mike Fasano video: Loved by constituents, but not so much by GOP leaders February 13

Committee postpones plan to make it easier to raise rates for power plants February 13

School prayer bill nears House floor February 13

Florida lawmakers tread carefully with deregulation of professions this time February 13

Tea Party, NAACP oppose prison privatization plan February 13

Winner and loser of the week in Fla politics February 13

USF gets disproportionate cut in Senate budget recommendations February 13

About the blog

For Florida political news today, the Buzz is your can't-miss-it source. Tampa Bay Times writers offer the latest in Florida politics, the Florida Legislature and the Rick Scott administration. Keep in mind: This is a public forum sponsored and maintained by the Tampa Bay Times. When you post comments here, what you say becomes public and could appear in the newspaper. You are not engaging in private communication with candidates or Times staffers.

E-mail Times political editor Adam Smith: asmith@tampabay.com

ON TWITTER

SPECIAL REPORTS

SITES OF INTEREST

POLITICAL LINKS

TIMES COLUMNS

REAL CLEAR POLITICS BLOG

POLITICS HEADLINES from the AP

Comment Policy

Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that:

Is libelous

Is abusive, harassing, or threatening

Is obscene, vulgar, or profane

Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive

Is illegal or encourages criminal acts

Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution

Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others

Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious)

Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises

Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy.

Registration FAQ

Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site.