Court Opinion

ID: 9885176
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 03:35:16.421985+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:45.138936
License: Public Domain

HATCHETT, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
For the reasons stated in part VI of my dissent in Johnson v. Mortham, 1996 WL 189235 *57 (N.D.Fla. Apr. 17, 1996) (Hatchett, J., dissenting), I would grant defendants and defendant-intervenors’ joint application for a stay pending appeal.
Moreover, on December 5, 1995, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases with voting rights issues bearing directly on the issues this court addressed in this case. The Supreme court's decisions in those cases, Bush v. Vera, — U.S. —, 115 S.Ct. 2639, 132 L.Ed.2d 877 (1995) and Shaw v. Hunt, — U.S. —, 115 S.Ct. 2639, 132 L.Ed.2d 878 (1995), are likely to be announced while this court is reviewing proposed plans for the reconfiguration of the congressional districts in the northern portion of Florida or, in the event that this court has to draw a plan, during this court's formulation of congressional districts in the northern portion of Florida. In either event, the Supreme Court's imminent decisions in Bush and Shaw may adversely impact any proposed or reformulated plan for Florida's northern congressional districts. I would grant the defendants and defendant-intervenors' joint application for stay pending appeal and allow Florida's 1996 congressional elections to proceed under the plan enacted in DeGrandy v. Wetherell, 794 F.Supp. 1076 (N.D.Fla.1992). Of course, immediately following the 1996 congressional elections, this court should review any proposed changes to Florida's congressional districts or engage in developing a redistricting plan itself, if necessary.
As it has from the beginning of this litigation, the majority has inserted an issue into this case that the parties have not raised. The majority, without a request from any party, has rendered an opinion on a Florida Statute regarding qualifying dates. With the legislature in session, if qualifying periods are to be changed, that body—elected to do such—should be the body to handle such a matter. In footnote one, the majority states: “To remove any uncertainty, we exercise our authority to extend the qualifying period for all Florida congressional candidates to the dates specified in section 99.061(8), as set out above.” Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and are not the general supervisors of state legislatures. Consequently, federal courts are called upon to resolve disputes parties present. No dispute has been presented regarding the qualifying dates for Florida congressional elections. As I have stated throughout these proceedings, the parties should be left to litigate the case. Likewise, the state legislature should be left to function in its usual political ways. More *1544importantly, in extending the qualifying dates, the majority undermines the very premise it relied upon to decide this case as it previously stated that “principles of federalism and separation of powers” compelled the resolution of this case. Johnson v. Mort-ham, 926 F.Supp. 1460, 1492-93 (N.D.Fla. 1996). The majority is not resolving any “case or controversy” regarding a qualifying date.
For the foregoing reasons, I dissent.

ORDER

BY THE COURT:
Defendants. Sandra B. Mortham, Florida Secretary of State, James Scott, President of the Florida Senate, and Peter Wallace, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, (collectively “state defendants”) have moved for reconsideration of that portion of our May 2, 1996, order extending qualifying deadlines (Doe. 211). See Johnson v. Mort-ham, 926 F.Supp. 1540 (N.D.Fla.1996). Their motion is GRANTED.
In footnote 1 of this Court’s order of May 2, 1996 (Doc. 203), we recognized that there was some confusion and concern regarding the dates of the congressional qualifying period, and we exercised our authority to extend that qualifying period for all Florida congressional candidates to comport with the dates specified in Section 99.061(8), Florida Statutes. See Mortham, 926 F.Supp. at 1542. We took that action only because the regular qualifying deadline of May 10, 1996, was fast approaching and Florida’s congressional district boundaries had not been reestablished. That same day, however, the Florida Legislature passed H.B. 2745, which, in addition to redrawing Florida’s Third Congressional District,1 reset the qualifying period for congressional elections. The legislation provides in pertinent part:
Section 8. (1) The qualifying period in 1996 for persons seeking to qualify for election to office as a representative to Congress begins at noon of the Monday occurring 21 days after the first Monday after the date this act becomes law and ends at noon of the ensuing Friday. Persons seeking to qualify by alternative method, or as an independent candidate, or as a minor party candidate may submit petitions until noon of the 7th day preceding the first day of qualifying for the 1996 election to office as a representative to Congress, and signature requirements shall be as provided in section 99.09651, Florida Statutes.
(2) Candidates seeking to qualify by alternative method who submitted the required number of valid signatures to each applicable supervisor of elections by noon April 15, 1996, and satisfied the petition requirements applicable on that date may qualify for any congressional district in the state.
H.R. 2745, 14th Leg., 2d Sess. (1996) (enacted). The act was signed by the Governor on May 21,1996, becoming law on the same date as Chapter 96-192, 1996 Laws of Florida.
Article I, Section 4 of the United States Constitution provides that "[t]he Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof...." Moreover, as this Court has previously noted, the Constitution expressly provides for redistricting by states, not the federal courts. Johnson v. Mortham, 926 F.Supp. 1460, 1493 (N.D.Fla.1996). See also Miller v. Johnson, — U.S. —, —, 115 S.Ct. 2475, 2488, 132 L.Ed.2d 762, 779 (1995), on remand, 922 F.Supp. 1556, (S.D.Ga.1995), probable jurisdiction noted by Abrams v. Johnson, — U.S. —, 116 S.Ct. 1823, 134 L.Ed.2d 928 (1996).
Accordingly, it is hereby
ORDERED AND ADJUDGED:
1. The motion by the state defendants for reconsideration of that portion of our May 2, 1996, order extending qualifying deadlines (Doc. 211) is GRANTED.
2. Footnote 1 of our order of May 2,1996 (Doc. 203) is VACATED and set aside. The *1545qualifying dates shall be as provided for by the State of Florida in Chapter 96-192, 1996 Laws of Florida.
3.Plaintiffs’ motion to reset the candidate qualifying dates for congressional elections to July 8 through July 12, 1996 (Doc. 209) is DENIED.
DONE AND ORDERED.

. We are very appreciative of the Legislature's diligent efforts in doing so.