I try to stay away from politics on my blog, but sometimes I cannot.
On the Nov. 6 ballot, voters can choose whether to retain three Supreme Court justices and four Appeals Court judges. Under Florida law, Florida Supreme Court and District Court of Appeal members are appointed by governors. They stand for retention votes every six years, and to date, no judge has been rejected. However, there is a battle going on this year to remove the Supreme Court Judges and allow Governor Scott to appoint whoever he wants. That would be a mistake.
The three Florida Supreme Court Justices up for merit retention are: Justice R. Fred Lewis, Justice Barbara J. Pariente and Justice Peggy A. Quince. I urge you to vote YES on the merit retention question on this year's ballot. A yes vote means you want them to stay in office, and a no vote means you want them removed.
This isn't a Democrat/Republican issue. Rather, it is a "checks and balances" and "separation of powers" issue.
As most know, Florida's government as three branches. The legislative branch makes the laws--that's a lot of power. The executive branch-the Governor--implements the laws and has the authority to veto laws and keep them from going into effect. That too is a lot of power. The third branch of Florida's government is the judicial branch. The judges balance the legislative and executive branch power combined. It is the judicial branch that is responsible to interpret laws and constitutional provisions. That means that the judicial branch can in the end strike down a law that was passed and implemented by the legislative and executive branches, even if the law is very popular. This keeps the Legislature and Governor in check and balances the government for the people--not the parties.
What if one party (Democrat or Republican) controlled both the Legislative and Executive branches and there was no Judicial Branch? That set-up would result in very one-sided laws for the party (whichever one it is) and not for the people. There would be no check and balance to make sure that the law was constitutional. One party would take control over Florida's politics--this may be fine when your party is in power, but how will you feel when the other party is in power? That would be travesty for Florida.
We may not always agree with the judge's ruling (I know I don't), but that doesn't mean we throw them out because of a particular ruling on a particular issue. Merit retention elections should be based not on any specific rulings but on such factors as scholarship, demeanor, legal knowledge, integrity, judicial temperament, and impartiality. The Florida Bar provides this information on each of the judges up for merit retention.
I urge you to vote YES on merit retention for the future of checks and balances in Florida's government--no matter what political party you align with.
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