Judge Lewis to Consider Motion to Take Supreme Court Justices Off November Ballot

Submitted by Kevin Derby on August 8, 2012 - 1:51pm

At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Judge Terry Lewis ofthe 2nd Judicial Circuit Court will hear a motion by Florida Supreme Court JusticesBarbara Pariente, Peggy Quince, and R. Fred Lewis to dismiss a suit brought against them by theSoutheastern Legal Foundation (SLF).

SLF, a conservative public-interest law firm, is representing two citizen plaintiffs whoallege that the justicesemployed the services of their law clerks in furtherance of their campaigns and had falsified campaign documents, both of which would be violations of state law. The justices are arguing that the facts the plaintiffs are alleging do not constitute violations of relevant state law. They further insist that state courts are not the proper venue for deciding this case, and that the plaintiffs, as mere taxpayers, do not have legal standing to sue in this matter.