House Leaders Weigh in on Supreme Court Shooting Down Amendment 7

The Florida Supreme Court ruled against a proposed amendment on redistricting that passed the Legislature earlier in the year to counter a measure backed by Fair Districts Florida -- leading to two different reactions from leaders of both parties in the House.

My colleagues in the House and I have tremendous respect for the judicial branch, and are grateful for their time and consideration of our appeal of the trial courts decision on Amendment 7, said Incoming Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park. However, it's terribly disappointing to have the work of the legislative branch demolished by a co-equal branch of government, especially when there's no express authority in the Constitution for their doing so.

The legislative branch has the express power to offer amendments to the people, continued Cannon. For the judicial branch to be independent, impartial, and apolitical, it must respect the legislative branch's clear and unambiguous constitutional powers.Unfortunately, the court failed to do that with respect to Amendment 7.

This case highlights why the Florida Constitution purposefully omits any authorization for either the executive branch or the judicial branch from prohibiting the people's elected representatives from offering amendments to the voters, added Cannon.Unfortunately, when the judicial branch chooses to involve itself in a political question, it diminishes its reputation for impartiality, and in this case deprives the voters of a voice in amending their Constitution.

Amendment 7 would have provided Florida voters the opportunity to preserve federally mandated communities of interest and to elect representatives who best understand their needs, concluded Cannon. To the extent the court found infirmities in Amendment 7's summary, they should have applied the same standard to Amendments 5 and 6 because they fail to disclose their potential negative impact on minority rights in reapportionment. Unfortunately, the court failed to do so."

House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands, D-Weston, praised the decision.

The Florida Supreme Court today checked the arrogant abuse of power by Republican legislative leaders by ensuring that voters will have a reasonable opportunity to improve our states redistricting process, said Sands. Today, the states high court upheld a lower court ruling to toss off the November general election ballot Amendment 7.

The wrongheaded Amendment 7 was concocted by Republican leaders in an attempt to nullify two amendments placed on the ballot by citizens that would limit lawmakers discretion in drawing legislative and congressional districts, continued Sands. The court, meanwhile, retained on the ballot Amendments 5 and 6, the so-called Fair Districts Florida amendments, which are intended to prevent the Legislature from gerrymandering political districts to benefit individual candidates or political parties starting in 2012, the next occasion when Floridas political maps will be drawn.

Excessive partisan gerrymandering is wrong, and I am happy for the people of Florida that they will have an opportunity to vote on this bipartisan initiative of great importance, concluded Sands.