Currents
May 2017
> continued from page 4
sor) said the bill is “intended to provide clarity in the
way we conduct elections.” But opponents, includ-
ing the League of Women Voters, said the bill would
have prevented the uncovering of the Republicans'
conspiracy to draw districts that gave incumbents
the advantage.
The proposal will most likely be deemed unconsti-
tutional for infringing on judicial immunity and vio-
lating the separation of powers.
The Second Strategy is to convince the electorate
to pass a constitutional amend-
ment limiting the terms of the
judiciary. Under the amendment,
which barely passed the Florida
House, the Justices on the Florida
Supreme Court and judges on
state appellate courts would be
forced out of office after 12 years.
The measure, which would be the
first of its kind in the country, has
been criticized by business groups
and conservative and liberal
lawyers.
The idea seems to heading
toward an ignominious ending
for the bill and its author Repre-
sentative Jennifer Sullivan, R-
Mount Dora; it needs to pass the
Florida Senate to succeed, but it
has not been given a single com-
mittee hearing. If it does get
through the Senate it must also
gain 60 percent of voters' sup-
port.
Supreme Court justices and
judges serve until they are 70
years old and face voters every six
years in a yes-or-no merit reten-
tion election.
Representative Jennifer Sulli-
van, R-Mount Dora, says the
amendment (HJR 1) would give
greater accountability to the judi-
cial branch, “Today, we have a
judiciary that is legislating from
the bench,” Sullivan said. “It is
continued on page 6 >
5