Judge Joseph Hatchett remembered: 'He never talked against people, but against policy' • Florida Phoenix Few thought Supreme Court Justice Joseph Hatchett had much of a chance at winning a statewide election in Florida, where no African American had ever won a statewide race. Gov. Reubin Askew had appointed Hatchett to the state’s highest court in 1975, ignoring the fact that he would face an election in 1976. Askew defended […]

After listening to Judge Duval brag about his family’s Florida background, Hatchett noted that his own family had been in Florida for 150 years “and nothing is named for them.” At that point, Hatchett won over everyone in the room. #Florida #FlSupremeCt

floridaphoenix.com/2021/05/10/jud…

Joseph Hatchett, FL's first Black Supreme Court justice, dead at 88 • Florida Phoenix My all-time favorite judge has died. He was only 88 years old. I had hoped he would live forever. Judge Joseph Woodrow Hatchett, a Clearwater native, was our first Black Supreme Court Justice, appointed to the court in 1975 by then Gov. Reubin Askew. He died Friday. He was a soft spoken, low key sort […]

Askew put him on the Supreme Court at an important moment, when the place was falling apart. He replaced former Justice David L. McCain, who later died a fugitive from drug smuggling charges. #Florida #FLSupremeCt

floridaphoenix.com/2021/05/01/jos…

DeSantis' failure to seat Renatha Francis means no Black justice on the FL Supreme Court for years • Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempt to seat a Black woman on the Florida Supreme Court who was ideologically compatible with him but who wasn’t qualified means the state is unlikely to see a Black justice for the foreseeable future. The court, in an unsigned but unanimous order, told DeSantis on Friday to review the candidates forwarded […]

“It could be 10 years but it could be 10 months. I think that is worth the wait to get a qualified individual and get a competent person who is not bound by ideology and who is not there to fulfill a political agenda. #Florida #FLSupremeCt #GovRonDeSantis

floridaphoenix.com/2020/09/12/des…

Rebuked by justices, DeSantis resorts to politics and race in defense of his Supreme Court appointee • Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out Wednesday at a state lawmaker who’s attempting to block his appointment of Renatha Francis, who is Black, to the Florida Supreme Court. The governor called the move “hypocritical” because the lawmaker — State Rep. Geraldine Thompson, who is Black — might keep Francis from becoming the court’s only Black justice. […]

The governor was joined during a news conference by other Black state lawmakers and local officials including Francis herself. #Florida #FLSupremeCt

floridaphoenix.com/2020/09/09/reb…

Fight over Renatha Francis' seat on the Supreme Court is winding down — and it might not go DeSantis' way • Florida Phoenix The legal fight over Renatha Francis’s appointment to the Florida Supreme Court appears to be coming to a close, and this much now is clear: Gov. Ron DeSantis could lose. The high court has already ruled that the Republican governor abused his authority in naming Francis to the state’s highest court because she doesn’t meet […]

That the court wants to decide soon is evidenced by the short deadline the justices gave DeSantis: A single day. #Florida #FLSupremeCt

floridaphoenix.com/2020/09/09/fig…

Florida Supreme Court hears arguments in campaign to place pot decriminalization on state ballot • Florida Phoenix Sponsors of a citizen’s initiative that could legalize adult use of recreational marijuana in Florida are contesting claims that the proposed amendment conflicts with federal law and that the ballot summary is misleading. On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a virtual courtroom, because of COVID-19 precautions, with state officials trying to […]

“The citizens cannot amend their constitution in a way that defies the U.S. Constitution," an attorney for the Florida Senate argued. #FlSupremeCT #marijuana #FLConstitution

floridaphoenix.com/blog/florida-s…