Legislator seeks investigation of three Supreme Court justices (FL [View all]
Barbara Pariente appointed by Lawton Chiles.
Fred Lewis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Fred_Lewis
Peggy Quince: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Quince
TALLAHASSEE -- In a sign of judicial branch combat to come, a state legislator is asking Gov. Rick Scott to launch an investigation into the Florida Supreme Court's bizarre, eleventh-hour shuffle last Friday to all three justices to file their election paperwork on time.
Rep. Scott Plakon, a Longwood Republican, sent a letter to Scott Thursday alleging that the use of court employees to help three justices -- Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince, who all must stand for retention votes this year -- violated state election law.
The court was in the middle of hearing a two-hour redistricting argument when Chief Justice Charles Canady was handed a note by the court clerk. The note was prompted by a last-minute realization by Dan Stengle, the legal counsel for the judges' merit retention campaign, that the justices hadn't filed their financial disclosure forms, and asked for a recess.
Canady said the court would stand in recess for 10 minutes, but the break lasted longer than an hour as the three justices rushed to finish the paperwork before the noon Friday deadline. Had they missed the deadline, Scott would have been able to appoint three new justices to the high court.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-04-26/news/os-plakon-challenges-justices-20120426_1_justices-barbara-pariente-plakon
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