PRISON BEARDS The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a Florida prison inmate who sought to grow a multi-inch beard while serving his sentence. Florida Department of Corrections rules prohibit beards over one-half inch. The court ruled the inmate, who is a Muslim, can be allowed to grow his beard due to a federal law entitled the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
FLORIDA DRAG SHOWS A Florida federal judge ruled that an injunction blocking a state law making it illegal to bring kids to drag shows applies to all state venues, not just one in Orlando. The judge said the Orlando locale is not the “only party suffering injury” from the statute.
FLORIDA JUDICIAL CIRCUITS Florida is currently served by twenty circuits to handle the thousands of cases filed each year. The Florida Supreme Court has convened a Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee to consider whether consolidation of these circuits would be advisable. There are strong arguments on both sides of the issue. It is anticipated that, should consolidation be approved, as many as fourteen circuits could be shuttered.
SIGNATURE COLLECTION BY PETITION A South Florida congressional candidate was arrested and convicted on a trespassing charge after she attempted to collect petition signatures on private property that was holding a gun show. She appealed the conviction to the Fourth District Court of Appeal claiming the Florida Constitution provides a broader right than the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment rights. A three-judge panel ruled against her saying the Florida Constitution does not provide an expanded right requiring private property owners to permit political speech on their property over their objection.