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Florida Scope: News From Florida
COUNTRY HONORS THE LIFE OF CONGRESSMAN ALCEE HASTINGS
Congressman Alcee L. Hastings died on April 6. He was 84. Congressman Hastings was the first African American from Florida since the post-Civil War era to be elected to the United States Congress. As a senior leader in the Democratic Caucus, Hastings served in the 116th Congress as Vice Chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process, Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (known as the Helsinki Commission), Senior Democratic Whip, and Dean and Co-Chairman of the Florida Congressional delegation.
Throughout his lifetime, Hastings championed the rights of minorities, women, the elderly, children, and immigrants. Born in Altamonte Springs, Fla., he attended Florida’s public school system and graduated from Fisk University in 1958. He then earned his law degree from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. Known to many as “Judge,” Hastings distinguished himself as an attorney and civil rights activist. In 1979, he became the first African American Federal Judge in the State of Florida, when President Jimmy Carter appointed him to the bench. He served in that position for 10 years. In 1992, Hastings was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he established himself as an outspoken leader for making our country safer and more secure. He has worked fund Head Start and other education programs, and provide family and medical leave to all workers. Hastings also worked to strengthen Social Security, protect the rights of voters, create tax incentives for small businesses, provide job training for displaced workers, ban assault weapons, and advocate for environmental protections to keep Florida safe for future generations.
STATE HONORS THE LIFE OF FIRST BLACK FLORIDA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
Justice Joseph Hatchett, who pioneered a legal career that took him to Florida’s highest court and the federal judiciary, died on April 30 at age 88.
Hatchett, who graduated from Florida A&M with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954, became the first African American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed to Florida’s highest court by Gov. Reubin Askew in 1975 and in 1979, President Jimmy Carter named him to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Twenty years later, after retiring in 1999, Hatchett took on another challenge when he joined with the NAACP to be lead attorney in the fight to preserve statewide preference programs for minorities and women in Florida.
The Clearwater, Florida native served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army and entered Howard University School of Law in 1956, where he earned both his law degree and bar admission.
Hatchett first went into private practice in Daytona Beach where he practiced criminal, civil, administrative, and civil rights law in state and federal courts.
Florida A&M University News
GOVERNOR SIGNS RESTRICTIVE VOTING BILL
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in May signed into law a controversial voting bill to slice access to mail-in voting in the state, joining other GOP-led states pushing new limits in connection with former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
In signing the bill during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” the Florida Republican highlighted provisions of the bill including stricter voter ID requirements for voting by mail, creating limits on who can pick up and return a voter’s ballot, and banning private funding for elections.
“Me signing this bill says: Florida, your vote counts, your vote is going to be cast with integrity and transparency and this is a great place for democracy,” DeSantis said after signing the bill.
Some of the restrictions created by the bill, Senate Bill 90, also include expanding partisan observation power during ballot tabulation and creating additional restrictions for drop box use. The new Florida voting law faced immediate pushback. A coalition that includes the League of Women Voters of Florida and the Black Voters Matter Fund announced it had filed a lawsuit within minutes of DeSantis signing the law.
