By J.C. Bruce
Florida courts clobbered the Republican Party twice today.
One judge denied the G.O.P.’s scheme to remove a Democratic Party ad focused on the Hope Florida scandal, while an appeals court refused to ban publication of the grand jury report that set off the whole hubbub.
You may be curious about the ad and why Republicans are so eager to have it censored, just as they tried to bury a grand jury report that found top Republican officials “misappropriated” $10 million that should have gone to sick children.
I’ve downloaded the ad, and I’ve posted it below for your viewing pleasure. I think you’ll see why it’s giving Attorney General James Uthmeier and others so much heartburn.
Enjoy watching it. And then, here’s a suggestion: After you do, forward this email to as many friends as you can think of. And then, ask them to forward it to their friends, too.
If we’re clever about this, in no time at all, everyone in Florida will have a chance to see the ad that Republicans were so desperate to keep under wraps. What fun!
Here goes:
Curious about the grand jury report that was leaked after Gov. Ron DeSantis and his minions worked so hard to keep it secret? You can read it and share it with your friends, too, when you forward this email.
Here’s the link:
Please, share this with everyone you can think of. This is how we beat the censors and the book banners and all that Don’t Say Gay madness. This is how we take our state back.
Also, here’s the official statement from the Florida Democratic Party regarding today’s court proceedings:
Today, a Highlands County circuit judge denied the Republican Party of Florida’s emergency request to pull the Florida Democratic Party’s Hope Florida ads off the air without a hearing.
The ruling follows the First District Court of Appeal’s Oct. 16 refusal to grant Attorney General James Uthmeier and other officials named in the grand jury report a ban on publishing its findings.
In a separate order that same day, the appeals court directed those officials to explain what they know about how a redacted version of the report reached the media.
“Twice in five days, Florida Republicans asked a judge to make the truth about Hope Florida disappear, and twice the answer was no,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “As an attorney, I can tell you that people with a strong case don’t file at 11:36 p.m. on a Friday evening two weeks before an election asking a court to threaten TV stations with criminal prosecution. They do that when they’re scared of what voters are about to hear. Floridians deserve sunlight. Our ads are staying on the air, and we will keep telling voters exactly what happened.”
The appeals court has given the parties until approximately Oct. 25 to explain why court records in both Hope Florida cases should remain sealed. Officials involved in the case must also explain what they know about the leak of the grand jury report by Oct. 26. The Republican Party of Florida’s lawsuit in Highlands County is still pending.
By the way, that ad, it was only booked on TV stations in Central Florida. But thanks to the power of the internet and readers of this newsletter, it can now be viewed statewide.
This is how you can be part of the solution. Forward all this to your friends.
Let’s beat the censors.
Thanks,
J.C. Bruce
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A major goal of this newsletter is to reach as many Floridians as possible, raise interest in civic affairs, and encourage voting this coming November.
Every person you share this with is one more potential vote for change.
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It looks like the DeSantis cartel doesn't control all the courts.
The video was stellar.
Now, I would very much like to see one that verbalizes Ashley Moody's involvement.