In his 40 years as a lawyer, the author has never seen a trial flout the basic requirements for fairness so brazenly. In a real trial, any juror who admitted conspiring with the defendant would be unceremoniously ejected from the jury, for starters.
Rights & Liberties
The Florida Lottery Exploits a Racist Stereotype
The Florida Lottery just issued a 30-second television spot that exploits a bigoted stereotype–the African-American with oversized lips–themed around making the black patient’s teeth “100 times whiter.”
Prosecution Asks for Temporary Halt in Cornelius Baker Death Penalty Re-Sentencing
The prosecution is arguing that a Supreme Court decision last week may make the re-sentencing of convicted murderer Cornelius Baker, scheduled to start in four weeks in Bunnell, if unnecessary.
Florida House Panel Backs Bills Allowing Local Politicians to Arm Themselves at Public Meetings
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee also approved a measure that would allow people to carry concealed weapons at religious institutions that share properties with schools.
Federal Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Repayments as Condition to Restoring Florida Felons’ Voting Rights
The fight is rooted in the wording of the 2018 constitutional amendment, which restored voting rights to felons “who have completed all terms of their sentence, including parole or probation,” excluding people “convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.”
No, Joe Mullins, Flagler Is Not a ‘Trump County.’ It Is an American County.
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins followed his call on liberals to love Flagler County or leave with suggestions of putting them on trains and buses, which brings to mind a different period of history, Christopher Goodfellow points out in an open letter to the commissioner.
Supreme Court Reverses Unanimous-Jury Requirement in Death Penalty, Raising Questions About a Flagler Case
The Florida Supreme Court said unanimous jury recommendations are not necessary before death sentences can be imposed, backing away from a 2016 decision. The ruling puts in question the case of Bunnell’s Cornelius Baker, scheduled for a re-sentencing in February.
Wrongfully Convicted, He Was on Florida’s Death Row for 42 Years. He’s Seeking $2.5 Million the State Owes Him.
Clifford Williams, now 77, gives God the credit for his release from prison, after state prosecutors found he and his nephew, Hubert Nathan Myers, were wrongly convicted in the 1976 Jacksonville murder of a woman and the attempted murder of her girlfriend.
Beyond Transgender Student’s Transfer Out of Matanzas, Calls on School Board to Take LGBTQ Safety Seriously
A throng of students, faculty members and parents asked the Flagler County School Board Tuesday to support more explicit procedures protecting LGBTQ students as Charlene Cothran, a Palm Coast pastor, again attacked the a transgender student and ridiculed LGBTQ rights.
Flawed Marijuana-Impaired DUI Testing Means Wrongful Prosecutions and Lax Enforcement
DUI-testing for marijuana impairment is inaccurate, easily disputed and defeated. The result is uneven prosecution. Innocent drivers are being wrongly convicted. Impaired drivers are remaining undetected, posing a potential safety risk to everyone on the road.