TALLAHASSEE — An appeals court Wednesday rejected a request by abortion-rights supporters to allow a circuit judge to rule on the legality of a revised “financial impact statement” that would appear on the November ballot with a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion. The 1st District Court of Appeal quickly denied a request filed Wednesday by Floridians Protecting Freedom, a political committee sponsoring the proposed constitutional amendment. The request came two days after a state panel issued a revised financial impact statement that Floridians Protecting Freedom contended was “highly politicized and unlawfully inaccurate.
” A lawsuit about an earlier version of the statement has been pending at the appeals court. After the revised statement was finalized late Monday, the appeals court on Tuesday ordered lawyers for the state and Floridians Protecting Freedom to file briefs this week about whether the case is moot. Floridians Protecting Freedom, however, filed a motion Wednesday asking the Tallahassee-based appeals court to “relinquish jurisdiction” to the circuit judge for a ruling on the revised statement.
“In short, we are now weeks closer to the election yet no closer to a lawful statement,” attorneys for Floridians Protecting Freedom wrote in the motion. “The circuit court should have the opportunity to address this continued violation of the sponsor’s rights.” The appeals court did not explain its decision for denying the motion but rei.
