Amherst professor Austin Sarat criticizes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Congressman Jim Jordan for decrying the “weaponization” of justice while themselves exerting political pressure to remove duly elected Democratic district attorneys. Professor Sarat warns that such actions undermine the independence of prosecutors and pose a threat to the rule of law, and he cautions voters to be vigilant against this danger in upcoming elections.
UF Levin College of Law professor and economist Neil H. Buchanan suggests a sliver of a possibility that Republicans’ attempt to impose one-party rule on the United States might fail. Professor Buchanan’ points out that Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis’s argument that he, unlike Donald Trump, could hold the presidency for eight years might be the best reason for Republicans in Congress to allow him to lose.
Former federal prosecutor Dennis Aftergut comments on the decision by the College Board, which certifies Advanced Placement (AP) high school curricula, for acquiescing to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by revising the curriculum in African American History. Mr. Aftergut argues that, by acceding to DeSantis’s bullying, the College Board has short-changed freedom of thought for the next generation of high school students and has helped erode our pluralistic future.