EXCLUSIVE: Author of Fed Society Report on Pariente, Lewis, Quince: These Justices ARE Activists

In an exclusive interview with Sunshine State News, ProfessorElizabeth Price Foley of FloridaInternationalUniversity College of Law lambasts what she insists were "misleading" early media stories on a report she published on three Florida Supreme Court justices up for merit retention on the November ballot.

The report, published on behalf of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies -- the nation's premier fellowship of conservative and libertarian lawyers and law students -- is being hailed by supporters of the justices as some sort of vindication of their record on the bench. JusticesBarbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis, and Peggy Quince are accused by their critics of being left-wing activists who do not rule in accordance with the original public meaning of laws applicable to the cases they adjudicate.

Asked whether the justices are "originalists," Foley tells Sunshine State News: "In my opinion, these justices are not originalists. They do have a discernible liberal ideology, which lends itself to an interpretive methodology in which a judge is more comfortable straying from a text's original meaning."

Asked whether these justices should be considered activists if they do not interpret laws according to their original public meaning, Foley replied: "If one wishes to define activism this way, then yes, these justices would be activists."

Catch the full scoop here!