William Gregory, now 30, was sentenced to death in 2011, for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Skyler Dawn Meekins, then 17, and her boyfriend Daniel Arthur Dyer, then 22, as they slept, and Skyler’s 1-year-old daughter was in a nearby room.
Rights & Liberties
The Agonizing Over, Gov. Scott Signs Bill to Restrict Gun Buying from Mentally Ill
Gov. Rick Scott defended his support for the Second Amendment as he signed a narrowly-focused firearms bill into law Friday, making it harder for the mentally ill to buy guns. The bill (HB 1355) blocks firearms purchases by some people who voluntarily admit themselves for mental-health treatment.
Emergency Lawsuit Charges Law Fast-Tracking Death Row Inmates Is Unconstitutional
The suit alleges that the law, which goes in effect July 1, would violate the separation of powers by imposing obligations on lawyers that conflict with judicially-determined rules, and that it would alter the court’s authority to govern capital post-conviction litigation and would violate due process and equal protection.
Florida GOP Rallies Around Marriage Inequality as LGBT Community Mobilizes
Though Floridians rejected gay marriage in a 2008 vote, Florida LGBT activists, fired up by Wednesday’s Supreme Court rulings favoring same-sex unions, said they have no intention of leaving matters as they stand.
In Biggest Victory for Gay Rights Yet, Supreme Court Declares Marriage Act Unconstitutional
The United States Supreme Court today declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. The court’s 5-4 decision is the biggest victory for gay rights to date and adds to a tide of states legalizing gay mariage.
Palm Coast Sours on Traffic Cameras, Calling Fines “Outrageous,” “Overkill” and “Unfriendly”
In a surprising and radical shift, Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon used harsh words to describe the city’s red-light camera program, saying that while the system makes intersections safer, its harsh punishments are out of proportion with the crime, and Palm Coast’s drivers–and the city’s image–are suffering as a result. But he is less clear on how to improve the system, which he does not want dismantled.
Voting Rights Act Sapped as Fractured Supreme Court Defies Near-Unanimous Congress
The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, declared key parts of the Voting Rights Act invalid even though the U.S. Senate had passed the act unanimously in 2006, and the House of Representatives had passed it 390-33.
Morning-After Victory on Women’s Reproductive Rights, But Testosterone Policies Persist
Reproductive rights advocates are celebrating the Obama administration’s surrender on the morning-after pill, empowering all women to make their own decisions regarding their own bodies. It’s about damn time, argues Kathleen Joyce, but she warns: don’t let your guard down just yet.
U.S. Supreme Court Will Decide Legality of Bunnell’s Government Prayers, Via Greece
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case from Greece, N.Y., where government meetings are started with distinctly Christian prayers, as they are at Bunnell City Commission meetings. The case is being taken to the court by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
Selective Memory Surveillance: Obama, the NSA and September 11
Those making the argument that the NSA’s domestic spying program would have stopped the 9/11 attacks had it been in place have ignored a key aspect of historical record, including the fact that USA intelligence already knew the identity of a hijacker long before the attack and could have found him.