Rick Scott is term limited in 2018. After 2018 there would only be the 2020 election before redistricting anyway, I really doubt they would draw a new map for 1 election.
Scott has claimed that in the literal 1-2 minute window where before he leaves office & the scotus justices are officially forced to retire, he can fill the seats, which means he can make the entire bench red.
I think it goes against the spirit of the rules, but whatever. Expecting most politicians - especially ones like Scott (or, say, most NC Republicans), to not be greasy hacks is way beyond the scope of reasonable thought at this point.
Well, that would obviously lead to a lawsuit. Let's see where that goes. Would the existing justices refuse to swear the new ones in until after it was resolved?
Also, if Dems can finally pick up FL-GOV next year, none of this will matter for redistricting anyway.
It's almost as if we have precedent....such as Democrat Lawton Chiles nominating 2 judges after his party lost the 1998 election!
Of course, Rick Scott is a great man and has been preparing for his moment. The nominating commission will put forward great candidates.
Nowadays, the nominating commission is mostly chosen by the governor. And Great Rick Scott has been slamming down lists full of good for nothing leftists. The groundwork has been laid.
R. Fred Lewis was appointed by Chiles & seated as a Justice in December 1998
(during the term to which Chiles, & nobody else, was elected) b/c the Justice he was succeeding, Gerald Kogan, chose to retire prior to to beginning of Jeb Bush's gubernatorial term (giving Chiles the full right to appoint).
Peggy Quince is the only Supreme Court Justice in FL history to be appointed simultaneously by more than one Governor. B/c her term began the exact moment that Governor-elect Jeb Bush assumed his office (due to outgoing Justice Ben Overton's desire to stay in office until the moment his mandatory retirement took effect), in order to avoid potential future controversy over her appointment, Bush worked out a joint agreement w/ lame duck Governor Chiles whereby they both agreed upon & jointly announced Quince's appointment in December 1998.
While some politicians squabble & sue for power, Lawton Chiles & Jeb Bush decided to share it. The result: a first-rate FL Supreme Court Justice, & a welcome example of bipartisan cooperation, civility & unity.So, tell me, where in the 2 examples you've provided is there "precedent" for Scott solely having the right to replace Justices Barbara Pariente, Lewis & Quince on the morning of Jan. 8, 2019, considering that the terms of the Governor & the Justices end at exactly the same time?? A new governor will be inaugurated the same day &, in fact, there's actually precedent for the fact that Scott can't solely replace the Justices: In 2006, the FL Supreme Court ruled that judicial nominating commissions could begin interviewing prior to a judicial vacancy occurring, but an appointment by the Governor could not be made until after the Justice's term expired. The court stated, "
[T]here is a specific constitutional provision that expressly provides that a vacancy in a merit retention judicial office does not occur until the end of the judge or justice's term." The Justices said the Constitution was "
clear and unambiguous" on the matter. Since judicial vacancies may occur on the same day that a new governor takes office (as will be the case in January 2019), the court's ruling essentially authorizes the newly sworn-in Governor to fill those vacancies, rather than the outgoing Governor.
