Early this week, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that Governor Rick Scott would not be able to appoint three new justices to the court. This ruling is important because it prohibits the governor from making “midnight appointments,” appointees made on the night of his last day in office. Because the ruling came from the Florida Supreme Court, Governor will be unable to appeal its decision. Moreover, according to Slate.com, “The dispute over the Florida Supreme Court began in 2016, when Scott unexpectedly declared that he would “appoint three more justices on the morning I finish my term.” Scott was alluding to the fact that three of the court’s seven justices face mandatory retirement due to age limits when their terms end in January. Under the state constitution, their terms expire on Jan. 8, 2019; by tradition, the next governor would be scheduled to be sworn in at noon on that same day..” Therefore, who ever wins the 2018 gubernatorial race will have the responsibility of appointing three new justices. This makes the gubernatorial race even more competitive than it already was. With two polarized candidates, Republican candidate, Ron DeSantis and Democratic candidate, Andrew Gillum, the stakes are raised as the new governor will be the deciding factor of whether Florida will have a left or right leaning state supreme court. Reports indicate that if Ron DeSantis were to win, his appointees would be similar to those Scott would have appointed. The real difference would be if Gillum won because despite the JNC’s majority alliance with Scott, Gillum would have a chance to alter the court. Essentially, the state Supreme Court’s ruling has declared that the winner of this race will have the opportunity to pave his way in Florida history.
Source: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/florida-supreme-court-rick-s…