High court in Crist's hands

[flashl]

Gov. Charlie Crist will get a remarkable chance to overhaul the state Supreme Court, which in recent years has ruled on ballot recounts, private school vouchers and the fate of Terri Schiavo.

TALLAHASSEE --Gov. Charlie Crist, who has been in office for little more than a year, will get a rare opportunity in the next few months to completely reshape the Florida Supreme Court.

Four sitting Supreme Court justices will step down between now and March, including two appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.

The latest to announce his departure, Justice Kenneth Bell, said Friday he wants to return to Pensacola to spend more time with his family.

Bell's decision is significant because it means Crist will get a chance to appoint a majority of the justices who sit on the powerful seven-member panel. While the state's highest court has been unified in many cases, it has split on key decisions, including when it ordered a statewide recount of ballots in the 2000 presidential election -- later halted by the U.S. Supreme Court -- and when it struck down Bush's private-school voucher program in 2006.

This is believed to be the first time in state history that any governor will have so much sway over the state's highest court in such a short time.

Miami Herald

How convenient. Alarm bells should be going off.

Bookmark this, should Florida become the eye of another election storm which requires SC decisions.