Reply #9: GOP; Associated Industries of Florida; Florida Chamber of Commerce trying to tear down courts' power

[seafan]

This is a red alert, Florida.


Here is the guy who is behind this blatant power grab. His smug expression reflects the arrogance, unchecked greed for unconstitutional power and the hollowed-out thinking processes that have descended like a plague on our state government.



Florida Speaker of the House of Representatives Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, bangs the gavel to begin the joint session of the Florida legislature in Tallahassee, Fla. , Tuesday, March 8, 2011.



Businesses Back Move To Weaken Florida Judges

Lloyd Dunkelberger reports:

March 20, 2011

.....

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park -- and powerful business groups -- are driving the sweeping changes, which will likely find a receptive audience in the strongly conservative leaders running the Florida Legislature.

The way Dean Cannon sees it, the judicial nominating commission is 'too close to the trial lawyers'.

Cannon, a lawyer, said he respects the judiciary's independence but wants to curb its power because he argues it has exceeded its constitutional limits. Exhibit 1 of that overreach, according to Republican legislative leaders: the Supreme Court's rejection of three constitutional amendments drafted by lawmakers last year aimed at preserving their power to draw the boundaries for the districts they represent.

.....

Apparently, the Supreme Court is too close to properly serving the people also.

.....

University of Florida law professor emeritus Joe Little called the court proposals "troubling," saying they appeared to be aimed at challenging the American constitutional governance system that was created in the 1803 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Marbury vs. Madison, which gave the courts the "last say on what the constitution and laws mean."

.....

Enter big-footed business groups such as Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

.....

Barney Bishop, head of AIF, said his business lobby wants to change the JNC process to at least make sure the members are subject to Senate confirmation.
Although he said he thought Florida appellate courts have been fairly even-handed on business cases, Bishop said business leaders were upset that former Gov. Charlie Crist appointed some 40 JNC members that business groups consider too friendly to trial lawyers.

"That's an anathema to the business community," Bishop said. "We want to wipe the slate clean and start over again."

.....

And they and Jeb Bush are still pi$$#& at Governor Crist. He's gotta pay.



The people of Florida will pay dearly if these people succeed in tearing down and neutering the constitutional power of the co-equal judicial branch of our state government. What they are attempting is to turn it into an arm of the radical right wing that will permanently serve their ideology.


This also meets the definition of a coup.


We absolutely MUST remove these people from power.