A Florida Supreme Court justice once tore an incriminating piece of evidence into 17 pieces and flushed it down a toilet.
That kind of foolishness prompted Gov. Reubin Askew to reform how judges are hired in Florida. He created Judicial Nominating Commissions, which would recommend judges based on merit, not politics and patronage.
A half-century later, Ron DeSantis is continuing Rick Scott's legacy of eroding the system's integrity. Political ideology is now the key qualifier for judges.
