I saw a piece from Markos Moulitsas at Daily Kos last week about how U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist in Florida could be the next GOP defection, and thought it was a bit crazy. Then, I saw this — and I thought, “Hmmm?” From the WSJ Law Blog:
The Florida Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Governor Charlie Crist (pictured), violated the state Constitution when he refused to fill an appeals court vacancy because all of the potential picks are white. Click here for the story, from the Miami Herald.
The somewhat strange outcome seems to have been largely the product of state constitutional procedure. ”The governor lacks authority under the Constitution to seek a new list of nominees from the JNC and has a mandatory duty to fill the vacancy,” Justice Jorge Labarga, a Crist pick, wrote on behalf of the court. ”While we applaud the governor’s interest in achieving diversity in the judiciary — an interest we believe to be genuine and well-intentioned — the Constitution does not grant the governor the discretion to refuse or postpone making an appointment to fill the vacancy on the Fifth District Court of Appeal.”
So, he was a pro-stimulus politician who campaigned for the package with President Obama — and he’s willing to go to court to fight for diversity. And, he’s in the South. Doesn’t really sound too outside the realm of possibility that his primary challenge from the Right could start to get Specter-tricky. As with Markos, I’m not excited about this prospect — but it does seem within the realm of possibility.
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Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Since it has been brought up publicly so many times — including during a debate when he was running for Governor — has never been denied, and his ‘choice of companions’ for state functions has confirmed it, I’m surprised you don’t mention another reason why Crist should switch parties.
He’s one of us. (I never try and determine whether a figure is gay or bi, so that’s as far as I will go.)