Ron DeSantis Requests Privacy For All Proceedings During Judicial Nominations

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently requested that a Florida court grant privacy for all proceedings during the judicial nominations. This would ensure that information about DeSantis’ judicial nominations remains private and away from public view.

The case was transferred from Tallahassee to Leon County, Florida, to the First District Court of Appeals.

This action was taken just one day after John Doe requested public records from DeSantis’ office regarding his court appointments. It was argued that the Governor’s records are not exempt from the amendment allowing public access, and that none of the previous Governors of the state have made such an exemption.

Nathan Forrester argued that this case qualifies for an application of executive privilege, stating that executive privilege documents have the potential to compromise the confidentiality of constitutionally enumerated duties.

Forrester was questioned by Judge Clay Robert regarding whether the same necessity of confidentiality applied to the correspondence between the governor, chief of staff, and the general counsel.

Several media groups and advocates have filed court documents in the lawsuit, arguing that applying executive privilege would harm state public record laws.

In 2022, DeSantis claimed in an interview that conservative legal experts helped him select Florida Supreme Court Justices.

While supporters of DeSantis claim that making these documents public could jeopardize the necessity of confidentiality in performing a duty outlined by the constitution, critics argue that this is an unprecedented move by the Florida Governor.

This legal battle leaves many wondering why Ron DeSantis is making such a strong push to keep information about his judicial nomination out of public view. Many have stated that allowing the Florida Governor to restrict access to previously public documents sets a bad precedent.

Now that both sides have made their case, it is up to the First District Court of Appeals to decide whether DeSantis will be allowed to invoke executive privilege and restrict access to information on judicial nominations.