Polk Law Blog

The Atheists of Florida have amended their complaint in their lawsuit against the  City of Lakeland seeking to have the invocations conducted by the Lakeland City Commission held unconstitutional. Download Documents: First Amended Complaint and Verification Exhibit A – letter number 1 Exhibit B – letter number 2 Exhibit C – new invocation policy My previous [...]

The Florida Supreme Court Case concerning Amendment 9 (Dept. of State v. Mangat), which attempts to make it impossible to require Floridians to purchase health insurance, is in full swing. Amendment 9 is a direct response to federal health care reform, but it is doubtful that Amendment 9 would have any effect on federal health [...]

This was going to be a Fourth of July post, but I got sidetracked. I was on my way home after a deposition in late June or early July during the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan. WMNF in Tampa was broadcasting audio from the hearings. I happened to catch an exchange with Republican Senator Coburn [...]

In light of the recent decision in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a California federal case released yesterday that finds state bans on same sex marriage unconstitutional, I thought it would be interesting to check in on a gay rights issue that has implications closer to home: adoption. In Florida, unlike any other state in the entire [...]

The Ledger is reporting that the Lakeland City Commission has passed a resolution concerning their invocation policy. (UPDATE 8/3/2010: The Ledger has a more detailed article this morning.) The new policy is clearly designed to help the City get out of the recent lawsuit filed by the Atheists of Florida. You can read the draft [...]