Tag Archives: Florida

Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis took his bows Thursday for airlifting some 50 asylum seekers to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts the day before. The move triggered a furious response from Florida Democrats, immigrant advocacy groups, and members of Florida’s Hispanic community, some of whom saw the move …

Issac Morgan, Florida Phoenix After Congress and President Joe Biden approved a massive spending bill to allow Medicare to negotiate cheaper drug prices with pharmaceutical companies starting in 2026, Florida has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over delays in the state’s own plan to import cheaper medicine from …

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Stop WOKE Act suffered a two-punch blow Thursday as a federal judge blocked parts of the controversial law and a coalition of civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit against what they are calling “racially motivated censorship.” U.S. District Judge …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A Florida appellate court has refused to allow a 16-year-old pregnant girl who was 10 weeks pregnant to obtain an abortion without the permission of her parents or guardian. The 3-1 ruling affirms a decision by Escambia County Circuit Judge Jennifer Frydrychowicz, who decided that the …

by Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A state trial judge said Thursday that he will block Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban, concluding it violates the privacy clause voters placed in the Florida Constitution in 1980. “I’m finding that the statute … is unconstitutional in that it violates the privacy provision of …

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Demetric Gillum, who narrowly lost his 2018 gubernatorial race against Ron DeSantis. Gillum, 42, was named along with Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, 53. The Indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit wire …

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aiming to curtail conversion therapy, expand health care access and promote safe learning for LGBTQI+ people. The order is meant to counter laws in Republican-led states that restrict the rights of LGBTQI+ kids and their families. A senior administration official referenced Texas …

by Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix June 1, 2022 Less than two months after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, Florida health care providers have filed a lawsuit against the measure. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Leon County Circuit Court …

by Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix May 27, 2022 A Florida appellate court ruled Friday that a trial judge abused his authority in ordering state government to retain a Black-access congressional district in North Florida before holding a full trial on whether the state’s Fair District amendment required doing so. The …

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Monday ruled that a 2021 Florida law targeting social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter unconstitutionally restricts the companies’ First Amendment rights. Monday’s decision by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld most of a preliminary injunction imposed …

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill into law that bans Floridians from protesting outside of private residences. “Sending unruly mobs to private residences, like we have seen with the angry crowds in front of the homes of Supreme Court justices, is inappropriate,” Governor DeSantis said just before …

by Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix May 13, 2022 A state trial judge has rejected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ demand to dismantle Congressional District 5, a sprawling, Black-access congressional district in North Florida, citing language in the state Constitution forbidding diminishment of minority voting strength. Instead, Circuit Judge Layne Smith, sitting in …

A Florida judge on Wednesday ruled that a congressional map approved by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and drawn by his staff is unconstitutional because it breaks up a district where Black voters can choose their representatives. “I am finding that the enacted map is unconstitutional under the Fair District Amendment …

by Kira Lerner, Florida Phoenix April 29, 2022 Florida authorities arrested a Black man while he was staying in a homeless shelter and charged him with voting illegally in a case tied to Republicans’ drive to root out election fraud. But Kelvin Bolton’s arrest raises questions about the rollout of …

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday establishing a new, first-of-its-kind election police task force to investigate voter fraud allegations as well as other election violations or irregularities. The bill, Senate Bill 524, creates the Office of Election Crimes and Security under the direction of the Department of State. …