U.S. Supreme Court

After Winning Supreme Court Houseboat Case, Fane Lozman Scores Another Win Against Riviera Beach

We were remiss not to tell you about this sooner, but on the last day of February, a Palm Beach County judge handed down yet another win to Fane Lozman, the Marine Corps pilot turned millionaire stockbroker turned houseboat owner turned hero for the Little Man everywhere. Lozman made national news i ... More >>

Fane Lozman, One Week After Houseboat-Not-a-Boat Decision, Says: "Meh"

One week following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that Fane Lozman's houseboat wasn't, in fact, a boat, Lozman has one response: Yeah, that's great, but where's my money? Turns out winning a Supreme Court decision isn't quite like winning the lottery. And Fane Lozman -- who's had h ... More >>

U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Fane Lozman and His Floating Home

Three years ago, the City of Riviera Beach destroyed multimillionaire Fane Lozman's home. At the time, city officials said Lozman's 60-foot, two-story floating home was not a vessel and therefore ordered it dismantled at the marina where it was docked. Work crews spent five days dismantling the h ... More >>

South Florida Bloggers Pick Their Favorite Posts of 2012, Part Two

The first installment of our highlight reel from the area blogosphere featured everything from legal scholarship to sex toys. Round two keeps the quality flowing, with a diverse selection from all over the ideological map. Here are laser-guided muckrakes and movement funeral oratory, community issue ... More >>

Sandy Hook Killings Should Mean Gun Control

For the record, the killing of 20 innocent school children in Connecticut was about the most horrible thing I have heard in years. They didn't deserve it -- and Florida needs to act -- We have issued one million concealed weapons permits.One of the many outrages of these killings is that neither pre ... More >>

Latest SCOTUS Bungle: It Denied a Case to Hold Miccosukees Accountable for Something, for Once, Ever

The good news: You can still get absolutely wasted at all your favorite Native American hangouts -- and there's nothing anyone can do to stop you. The bad news: All we had to do was sacrifice our society's guiding sense of accountability. Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court denied a ... More >>

Allen West's Lawyers: Let's Interrogate Elections Officials

Since mock execution is not an accepted method of investigating election results in South Florida, confessed torturer and probable one-term congressman Allen West has turned to the next-best thing: a team of high-powered attorneys.See also:-Allen West Won't Concede, Demands RecountTuesday's results ... More >>

Supreme Court Justices Hear Lozman v. Riviera Beach, Ponder Floating Styrofoam Sofas

A kooky South Florida story made the big time in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, as justices heard arguments in a case that will decide whether Fane Lozman's floating home -- targeted for removal from a marina by Riviera Beach and towed away by U.S. marshals -- was a building or a boat.Se ... More >>

Prosecutors Accused of Hiding Crimes of Fort Lauderdale Trump Tower Developer

Try as they might, the federal courts are failing at keeping developer Felix Sater's shady criminal past a secret.Sater was a key promoter in the Fort Lauderdale beachfront Trump tower and helped rake in millions to fund the now-abandoned project. A petition from investors to the U.S. Supreme Court ... More >>

Imagining a Florida Without Medicaid

See also: Rick Scott's stranger-than-fiction smackdown of Obamacare and his defense of that decison.In 2009, at least 2.45 million people in Florida were enrolled in Medicaid, according to data from government agencies. Another estimate pegs the number at more than 3 million. That's over a tenth of ... More >>

Connie Mack's Dad Cosponsored 1994 Bill Including Individual Mandate

See also Connie Mack Continues Stupid Health Care Posturing. We've seen plenty of posturing already from Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack -- now a candidate for Senate -- about the Affordable Care Act -- even last week, he was slamming his opponent, Bill Nelson, for supporting it.This came into part ... More >>

Obamacare Individual Mandate Upheld; Take That Florida Republicans

A lot has been said about the Supreme Court challenge to "Obamacare," the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. One thing, though, that's gotten lost in the shuffle is that the case is called Health and Human Services v. Florida -- it was filed by Florida's then-attorney general Bill McCollum, ... More >>

CNN Botches Health-Care Ruling on Homepage

In the race to break the news of the U.S. Supreme Court health-care ruling, several media outlets wrongly rushed out headlines declaring it had been struck down. But none botched the news with as much gusto as CNN.Full-sized screenshot of the mistake after the jump.

Arizona's Immigration Enforcement Law: Florida's Stances on Both Sides of SB 1070

This week's issue includes a four-story special report from Village Voice Media about SB 1070, the Arizona immigration law that both casts criminal suspicion on anyone who looks Latino and transforms local law enforcement officers into immigration investigators. It's featured nationally because it i ... More >>

New Laws in Dozens of States Could Take Out Barack Obama This Fall

Days of Rage: The U.S. Supreme Court and President Obama Leave the Undocumented and Their Allies No Choice but to Escalate Civil Disobedience

Bordering on Revolution: America's War on Mexicans Has Gone Too Far

Fane Lozman Files Legal Brief; Supreme Court to Decide if His House Was a Boat

The U.S. Supreme Court has taken on some of the most compelling debates in history: the struggle for civil rights, the power of corporations to influence political campaigns, a woman's right to get an abortion. Now, thanks to a South Florida activist, they'll be taking on another subject for our div ... More >>

Five Supreme Court Cases That Say Florida's Prayer in Schools Bill Is Bunk

Imagine you're at a high school pep rally: The football players are in their jerseys, the cheerleaders are yelling, and the students are getting ready for the school spirit contest. But first, a student is invited to the microphone to give an inspirational message."Let us pray," he says. Some of the ... More >>

Newt Gingrich Says Nobody Cares About the Right to Privacy, Challenges Obama to 21 Hours of Debates

​Newt Gingrich's stump speech at Wings Plus in Coral Springs had a lot of meat to it -- he criticized President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech, made fun of the media, and was heckled mercilessly for the first half of the event by a protester who was eventually booted from the parking lot ... More >>

Rick Scott Predicts "Obamacare" Will Be a Loser in the Supreme Court -- Is He Right?

Illustration by Miche RattoWho needs Husseinobamacare?​Yesterday, Gov. Rick Scott made a visit to the Palm Beach Post editorial board and predicted that the challenge of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act raised by Florida and 25 other states would win in the U.S. Supreme Court.Argumen ... More >>

Oba Chandler's Last-Ditch Effort at Appealing Death Sentence Denied

via WFTS-TampaOba Chandler appealing his death sentence in 1994.​The last legal challenge standing between pentobarbital, pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride, and Oba Chandler's veins has been denied.Department of Corrections spokesman Jo Ellyn Rackleff just sent over the order from the United ... More >>

Jakaris Taylor, Sentenced to Life at 17 for Role in Gang Rape, Now Resentenced to 60 Years

Palm Beach County Sheriff's OfficeMug shot of Jakaris Taylor taken yesterday.​Jakaris Taylor, one of up to 10 people who took part in a West Palm Beach gang rape of a 35-year-old woman in 2007, as well as the beating of both the woman and her 12-year-old son, was resentenced today to 60 years ... More >>

First Amendment Right to Blast Music to Be Considered by Florida Supreme Court

inquisitr.comThe Florida Supreme Court will decide whether this is your First Amendment right.​The issue of whether it's the First Amendment right of Florida drivers to blast obnoxious music from their cars way louder than anyone needs to will be heard before the Florida Supreme Court.The court sc ... More >>

Manuel Valle Execution: Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

​Manuel Valle was executed by the State of Florida at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday after the many appeals filed on his behalf were denied.Just before the execution was scheduled to take place at 4 p.m., the U.S. Supreme Court delayed it to briefly take a look at the case.A stay of execution was denied, but ... More >>

Manuel Valle Denied Stay of Execution by Florida Supreme Court; Death Date Remains

Florida Department of CorrectionsManuel Valle, scheduled to die on September 28.​South Florida cop killer Manuel Valle's petition asking for a stay of execution was denied today by the Florida Supreme Court.His scheduled date with death remains September 28, 2011, at 4 p.m.Valle's lawyers filed th ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Nuts Coming to Protest Soldier's Funeral Tonight

How to identify the creeps that will be showing up in Fort Pierce tonight​The Kansas crazies are coming.Westboro Baptist "Church" Pastor Fred Phelps tells New Times that the church's minions are coming to Fort Pierce tonight to protest the funeral of 24-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Christopher S ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Creeps Planning Florida Funeral Protest in Response to Proposed Bill

thegatewaypundit.comWestboro Baptist weirdos.​It looks like the Westboro Baptist "Church" is interpreting State Rep. Pat Rooney's military funeral buffer-zone bill as an invitation.The Kansas crazies haven't placed it on their public schedule yet, but the Palm Beach Post reports the "Thank God for ... More >>

State Rep. Rooney Files Bill to Keep Westboro Baptist Bozos at Bay

towleroad.com​State Rep. Pat Rooney isn't too happy about the "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates Fags" sign-wielding lunatics from the Westboro Baptist "Church" in Kansas parading around funerals extolling their hate under the protection of the First Amendment.For the second straight leg ... More >>

Florida Judge Kills Matching Funds; Money is Considered Free Speech in Political Campaigns

illinoisstate.edu​Just days after the U.S. Supreme Court found Arizona's matching-funds campaign law unconstitutional, a Florida federal court judge halted a similar provision in this state.The issue, unsurprisingly, was brought up in a lawsuit by then-candidate Rick Scott, who said his right ... More >>

Tax Money Siphoned Off To Religious Schools That Champion Theocracy

Jesus is big in Florida.​At the moment, the only proper school voucher program in Florida is the McKay Scholarship Program, which caters to special needs kids. (A proposal for a more general voucher program was struck down in the legislature six years ago.) But if you've got a non-special child, n ... More >>

Concede? Hell No. Secede!

​It just happened. Florida has officially elected the man who oversaw the greatest Medicare fraud in U.S. history as its governor. You might think I would welcome this sort of thing. I remember when I covered the 2000 recount thinking at the end of it, after the U.S. Supreme Court gave t ... More >>

Meek to Use Elena Kagan to Siphon Moderate Votes from Crist

​The hard part of being the independent in a three-way race is that you can't always play it down the middle politically. Likely Democratic candidate for Senate Kendrick Meek is trying to force Charlie Crist's hand: Does Crist support the Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan or not?In his Washi ... More >>

Supreme Court Has Stoner Conversation About Florida Beaches

Flickr: USA TODAY / H. Darr BeiserMaybe the Supreme Court needs to spend a day at the beach before they give their ruling.​These are the nation's most eminent legal minds? Read this article in today's New York Times, about the U.S. Supreme Court's debate over whether to allow the state to claim be ... More >>

Are Florida Kids More Violent? Or Are the Florida Courts?

Flickr: Alan DejecacionJailing our children: a trait Florida has in common with the Phillipines​Some of you may have heard this morning's report on WLRN about the U.S. Supreme Court case that will determine on what basis it's just to put a child in prison for life. There seems to be a lot of viole ... More >>

Sotomayor Confirmed for Supreme Court

As was widely expected (and dreaded, in conservative quarters) the U.S. Senate gave its approval to Barack Obama's appointment for U.S. Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. Florida's Sen. Mel Martinez was one of just nine Republicans to cast a vote in favor of the appointment. That's because he fell head ... More >>

Obama's Listening Tour Comes to Broward Monday

Flickr user: fyunkieSure, President Obama's ears are big, but he's got a helluva lot of people competing for their attention. If you have a message you hope will make its way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., your best bet may be to attend Monday's "Listening Tour" stop in Plantation.  The prez himsel ... More >>

Martinez Bowled Over by Sotomayor

Republicans like Newt Gingrich are pretty sure that Sonia Sotomayor is racist against white men, but just to make sure, the U.S. Senate's only Hispanic Republican, Mel Martinez, went in for a closer look. As you can see in the video above, the Florida senator exchanged some awkward Spanish with the ... More >>

Guantánamo's Final Days

America prepares to shutter the infamous prison camp, and jihad looms.

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Too Dumb to Die

Kevin Moore's case raises questions about executing the mentally disabled

A Christmas Confession

Columnist repents, vows to stop killing Christian fundamentalists

United States of Jesus

The folks who are "reclaiming America for Christ" are pushing an agenda for a Taliban-like state where Scripture is law

Still Steaming

A pair of filmmakers dredges up all the rage and frustration of Election 2000

Indian War

A Hollywood man has spent the past decade trying to pry open the Seminoles' accounting books -- without much success

Best Local Politician

State Rep. Lois Frankel

Minority Madness

Wisecracking Democrats in Tallahassee were steamrollered during the presidential contest. But they didn't take it lying down.

One Nation, Divisible Under God

For 45 years the Pledge of Allegiance has included a mention of the Almighty. Atheist Michael Newdow is suing for removal.

Undercurrents

The Straight Dope