Rick Scott's latest victim: Florida's court system

[Hugabear]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-court-funding-crisis-20110405,0,7737884.story

<snip>
Fearing the governor will withhold emergency funding to keep state and county courts operating, the state's chief judges have put together a draconian plan that could shutter the court system in every Florida county for four days next week, and 10 days in May.

Details of their plan have not yet been hammered out, but during those court blackout days, there'd be no trials and only a minuscule number of hearings, said Circuit Judge Preston Silvernail, chief judge in Seminole and Brevard counties.
...
According to Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr., the problem is Gov. Rick Scott. The Florida House and Senate have agreed to loan the court system enough money to operate through the end of the fiscal year but the deal must also be approved by Scott.
...
There'd be no trials, traffic court or routine hearings of any kind, Silvernail said. Divorces would go unfinalized, and no one would resolve disputes about child custody, child support or visitation.
<snip>

How ironic...or perhaps fitting...that a CRIMINAL like Rick Scott would wind up fucking over an entire state's court system.

[aquart]

1. People don't think government matters?

Guess they'll find out.

[Hugabear]

2. teabaggers would love nothing more than to eliminate almost all government

Yeah they'd find out once it began to directly impact them, but by then it might be too late.

[Hepburn]

3. Perry is an interesting judge and IMO, he has the balls to do what he says.

Have been watching the pre-trial Mx's on the Casey Anthony case. This guy is smart, quick and takes NO bull. The case is being televised and I don't see one bit of playing to the camera from him. So...I see what he says not as a threat, but as a no nonsense statement about what the results will be.

[Generic Other]

4. Isn't that a violation of constitutional right to speedy trial?

These folks call themselves conservatives! By what criteria? They are vandals. Vultures. Sharks. This is a feeding frenzy on their part.

We are racing to be equal to Haiti.

[Hepburn]

6. If they cannot set the trial as required and the defendant does not waive...

...his/her right to a speed trial, my opinion is that you are on to something. Can you just see all the cases that are dismissed? There is no doubt that the defense bar would be inclined to waive the right to a speedy trial and then bring a mx to dismiss based on the State's violation of that right.

[L0oniX]

5. Got to wonder what he'd do for a hurricane disaster.