Florida

A Republican legislator called for an investigation into whether three supreme court justices violated state election law in using court employees to help file their retention candidacy paperwork. The justices learned on the day of the deadline that their financial disclosure forms were incomplete and called a court recess to finalize their submissions.

The three supreme court justices standing for retention in November share major campaign contributors with Fair Districts Now, an organization that supported redistricting amendments considered by the court in February.

The supreme court adopted new rules that bar individual judges from taking budget requests and suggestions for revisions to the law directly to legislators without first getting appropriate approval. These rules are in response to judges’ role in lobbying lawmakers for a $50 million courthouse that has been labeled “Taj Majal.”

By a 5-4 vote, the state judicial nominating commission voted to bar its members from contributing to or actively participating in any judicial race in the state, including the retention elections of three supreme court justices. Those who voted in favor of the policy want to avoid the appearance of impropriety, while those who voted against it believe that public disclosure of support for a candidate would be sufficient.

His fellow supreme court justices elected Justice Ricky Polston to serve as the next chief justice. The position rotates among the court’s members. Polston was appointed to the court in 2008 by Governor Crist.

The three supreme court justices up for retention in November are, reluctantly, campaigning to keep their seats. An effort known as Restore Justice 2012 has been launched to defeat them, citing “activist” decisions in cases involving health care, school vouchers, and corporate liability.

A bill that would have expanded the governor’s authority over the state’s judicial nominating commissions stalled after disagreement between the house and senate over whether the governor’s proposed authority to remove and replace commission members at will should extend to appointees of past governors.

The senate approved a proposed ballot measure that would raise the retirement age for judges from 70 to 75. A similar measure is stalled in the house.

The house of representatives approved a measure that would expand the governor’s power over the state’s judicial nominating commissions. The governor appoints the nine members of each commission, with the bar making recommendations for four of those members.

Three justices are on the ballot in November, and their retention is expected to be hotly contested. One group that has mounted an anti-retention campaign is Restore Justice 2012, whose website lays out the justices’ voting records on issues of interest to the group. The group also unsuccessfully challenged two justices in 2010.