Did You Know a Few Billionaires Want to Rejigger the Florida Supreme Court?

 If you're in the legal biz it's impossible to not be aware of the Koch brothers' campaign to unseat Justices Lewis, Pariente, and Quince. 

But there's also this bugaboo up for a vote in November:

The GOP-led Florida Legislature also put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot that experts say would politicize the Florida Supreme Court.

Amendment 5 would change the Florida Constitution to say that the Florida Senate has to confirm state Supreme Court nominees. If passed, it would also allow the Florida Legislature to repeal any court decision with only a majority, which is 50 percent plus one. Right now, the legislature needs a supermajority.

Oy veh, do you think Florida would have integrated the public school system if the Legislature could have repealed that ruling with a 50 percent plus one vote?

A few newspapers have also weighed in:

"The three Supreme Court justices up for review are under attack by a conservative political action committee which declines requests for interviews...
That is the kind of politics that merit retention was designed to keep away.
For that reason, we strongly recommend voting "yes'' to retain Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince — all of whom passed muster in a Florida Bar poll with approval ratings of at least 89 percent."

– Naples Daily News, 9/26/12

"The three Florida justices are certainly competent. A poll of Florida Bar members showed that 92 percent supported retaining Mr. Lewis, 89 percent Ms. Pariente and 90 percent Ms. Quince. And there’s no question of ethical impropriety.
Rather, it’s pure politics.
Let’s hope voters understand what’s at stake here. Let’s hope they vote to retain the three Supreme Court justices.”

– Tallahassee Democrat, 09/25/12

Where did all the Jeb Bush Republicans go?

(I'm excluding Raoul Cantero's leadership on this issue -- major props to the guy for taking this on!)