Majority of state justices say FAMU alumna is right in Arthenia Joyner v. House of Representatives

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Last week, a majority of the justices on the Florida Supreme Court said that Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner and her fellow Democratic senators were correct in their argument that the House of Representative’s early adjournment violated the state constitution. But the court denied a request for a writ of mandamus to force the House to come back to work.

House Speaker Steve Crisafulli (R-Merritt Island) sent the 120 members of his chamber home on April 28 in the middle of an impasse over budget negotiations with the Senate. According to the Associated Press, “the House has been adamantly opposed to expanding Medicaid to more than 800,000 Floridians, even though the Senate has proposed a plan that would allow the state to eventually privatize Medicaid and require recipients to work or attend school.”

The adjournment came three days before the scheduled end of the session.

Senate Democrats, led by FAMU alumna Joyner, filed an emergency petition in the Florida Supreme Court on April 30 that claimed that the House’s early exit was illegal. They asked the court to order the House to reconvene. The official name of the case was Arthenia L. Joyner, et al. vs. The Florida House of Representatives, et al. (SC15-813).

The court decided against granting the writ. But a concurring opinion by five of the seven justices said that “the House’s unilateral adjournment clearly violated the Constitution.” Chief Justice Jorge Labarga and Justices Fred Lewis, Peggy Quince, J.C. Perry, and Barbara Pariente all signed the concurring opinion.  

“While the Justices held that the Writ was not feasible, the key question as to whether the House’s actions were unconstitutional has been clearly answered. Their legacy has been cemented,” Joyner (D-Tampa) said on behalf of the 13 Democratic state senators.

Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando) thanked Joyner and her caucus for filing the lawsuit against the House.

“I appreciate Leader Joyner and the efforts of her caucus to seek a swift answer to this important constitutional question,” Gardiner said. “While the writ of mandamus was denied because the court could not impose a practical remedy prior to midnight tonight, a majority of the court agreed with the Senate position that the House violated the constitution. This provides important guidance to future presiding officers.”
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