Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Challenges 6 Proposed Florida Constitutional Amendments

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead filed a petition for writ of quo warranto directly with the Florida Supreme Court, challenging six of the seven Florida Constitution Revision Commission proposed constitutional amendments. The amendments challenged are the six proposals that group separate proposed constitutional amendments into single ballot questions.

Former Justice Anstead argues that the ballot questions unconstitutionally group independent and unrelated proposals into a single ballot question, that the proposals violate voter rights because there cannot be a “chief purpose” in grouped amendments, and that the ballot language for each of the amendments is misleading and deceptive.

Multiple other lawsuits challenging Constitution Revision Commission proposals are winding their way through the Florida court system, as discussed in a previous alert.

With a looming September 22 deadline for election supervisors to mail overseas ballots, the courts have limited time to decide these matters before the ballots must be printed.

Carlton Fields will continue to track the 2018 Constitution Revision Commission and its amendment proposals through the election.

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