TALLAHASSEE -- The League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Rick Scott (R) over the selection of Florida Supreme Court justices.
The lawsuit was first filed in September, when the League of Women Voters Scott's actions. According to a report by WFTV.com, the groups opposing the selection allege that the governor does not have the authority to name the replacements or to place a deadline on the selection of the candidates.
Scott stated that he would have the finalists chosen by early November, although the judicial nominating commission then imposed an Oct. 8 deadline. The lawsuit requests that the application window be extended until at least Jan. 8, 2019.
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Neither the League of Women Voters nor Common Cause were able to comment, but their attorney, John Mills with The Mills Firm in Tallahassee spoke with Florida Record on Nov. 7, and explained the timeline for the upcoming action.
In the reply filed Nov. 7, Mills argued that presumed governor-elect Ron DeSantis would be the only individual with the authority to appoint the three new justices.
"Mr. DeSantis is obviously of the same party as Gov. Scott, and their views on the kinds of justices they which to appoint may be the same or may diverge," Mills said. "But this case and the issues it presents remain ripe for resolution."
Mills added that the commission had no right to set a deadline for October and requested that the application process be halted altogether until January.