RNLA to Host Florida Election Law CLE Training Amidst Key State Races

Maybe never in American history has the integrity of the electoral process and upholding the rule of law been more important than in 2018. Just in the past few months there has been significant evidence of voter fraud and allegations of corruption plaguing high level polling officials.

On June 28th, the Republican National Lawyers Association will be hosting an election law CLE presentation in Kissimmee, Florida. A major goal of the RNLA event will be to restore the high standard of honesty, integrity, and transparency in American elections. Panelists at the event will include some of the most respected and high-profile attorneys and officials in the state of Florida. Topics for the esteemed panelists will range from legal ethics, First Amendment issues on college campuses, and election law in general.

In addition to the electoral related discussion, the RNLA’s CLE presentation at the ‘Sunshine Summit’ will break down two key races in the state. First, the two major candidates for the Republican nominee for Attorney General will be speaking and sharing their vision for the position that is the most powerful attorney in the state. Speaking first will be Judge Ashley Moody who will then be followed by Representative Frank White. Judge Moody was the youngest judge in the history of Florida when she was appointed to the Circuit Court at the age of 31 in 2006. Representative White is an attorney who has represented the 2nd district in the state house since 2016.

The presentation will also include Jessica Furst Johnson hosting a discussion breaking down the key senate race in the Sunshine State. Governor Rick Scott looks to build on the success he has had as governor and unseat incumbent Democrat Senator Bill Nelson. Not only will attendees hear about the candidates and the races, they will also learn how they can get involved.  The event will take place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida starting at 10 am on Thursday, June 28. For more information on the event, visit the RNLA event page or RSVP here.

Florida Governor Rick Scott to Speak at the RNLA Washington, D.C. Chapter Luncheon

The RNLA Is pleased to announce that Florida Governor Rick Scott will address our January D.C. Luncheon on January 27 at the Capitol Hill Club.

Governor Rick Scott is the 45th Governor of the great State of Florida.  As promised during his campaign, Scott is focused on creating jobs and turning Florida’s economy around.  After attending high school and community college, Gov. Scott enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served on active duty aboard the USS Glover as a radar man. The G.I. Bill enabled Gov. Scott to attend college and law school. While enrolled at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and working full-time at a local grocery store, Gov. Scott and Ann made their first significant foray into the business world by buying two Kansas City doughnut shops for Gov. Scott’s mother to manage. Following graduation from UMKC with a degree in business administration, Gov. Scott earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University.

Governor Scott is known as an innovator in business, health care, and politics.  His specialization was in health care mergers and acquisitions, and it was during his work on these transactions that he recognized how patients could be better served by improving hospital efficiency, lowering costs, and focusing on better outcomes.  Through his entrepreneurship, Gov. Scott developed a reputation in the health care industry for providing affordable, high quality care to patients.  As Governor, he brings a similar vision for quality and efficiency to benefit the people of Florida.

Governor Scott has been fighting for Florida by creating jobs and fighting to cut taxes. Since December 2010, Florida’s private sector has created more than 1 million jobs. 

[Last] November, the private sector added 35,600 jobs across Florida, resulting in 1,011,800 new private sector jobs created in the last five years. Florida’s unemployment rate also dropped to 5.0 percent, the lowest in seven years. Florida’s annual private sector job growth rate, now at 3.6 percent, has exceeded that of the nation since April 2012.

In his budget proposal, Governor Scott has included priorities including a $1 billion tax cut, $250 million for economic development, and a health care transparency proposal.

The Florida First budget cuts $1 billion in taxes including permanently eliminating the income tax on manufacturing and retail businesses, permanently eliminating the tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment, cutting the tax on commercial leases, extending the sales tax exemption on college textbooks, and implementing a 10-day back-to-school sales tax holiday and a 9-day disaster preparedness sales tax holiday.

For more information and to purchase tickets for our January D.C. luncheon, please click here. 

RNLA's Top 10 Blog Posts for 2015

Here are the top 10 blog posts for The Rep Lawyer Blog for 2015.

10.  Just in Time for Halloween: Zombies Register to Vote in Ohio “They actually had the dead people's drivers license numbers and Social Security numbers, and of course they forged the signatures of these dead people."

9.  Some Poetic Justice in the Fight Against Vote Fraud “Mayor Don Cravins of Opelousas, Louisiana [was defeated after he] famously bragged that you should vote twice for Senator Landrieu and if you did you did no one was going to persecute you.”

8.  Liberal Law Professor Points Out Democrats Won't Criticize Fellow Democrat Hillary  “The most important point to these Democrats is not the breaking of the law or the ethics of the action but rather the Party the alleged lawbreaker represents.”

7.  In Philadelphia, they don't wait for the Election to Start Committing Vote Fraud “Philadelphia went one better/worse.  Allegedly adding votes to the machines BEFORE the election”

6. Over 20 States Have Counties with More Registered Voters than People Alive  “141 counties on notice across the United States that they have more registered voters than people alive.”   

5.  An Interview with Florida Representative Jose Felix Diaz RNLA first interview for its Florida Facebook Page.

4.  Does the Left Only Care About the Campaign Finance Activities of Republicans? “Where are all those on the left that make their money talking about campaign finance?  One thing is for sure, they would not be silent if it was a Republican with the same arrangement as Hillary’s friends and allies.”

3.  Do Democrats Defend Planned Parenthood So Vehemently Because Planned Parenthood Supports Them? “One of the reasons Planned Parenthood is so fervently defended by the Democrats is that Planned Parenthood spends millions of dollars supporting liberal and Democrat political causes.”

2.  The Value of Online Registration “[O]nline registration systems are easier to use, cheaper, and yield a more accurate voter list than traditional paper-based systems.”

1.  Tide turns in FEC battle for regulation-free internet "Last fall, disclosure doyenne and current FEC Chairwoman Ann Ravel made overtures toward regulating online political speech, stating, 'a reexamination of the Commission’s approach to the Internet is long overdue.' . . . In fact, internet regulation would chill the vibrant political debate continuously happening in cyberspace."

An Interview with RNLA Leader and National Security Expert Thomas Spencer

Florida attorney, former RNLA First Vice President and current RNLA Advisory Council Member Thomas Spencer recently shared his story with RNLA Florida Chapter Leader Pedro Allende. Read about why he became a lawyer, and other issues facing national security.  For links to other interviews and more details on our Florida Chapter, check out RNLA's Florida Facebook page.  

1. Aside from being a lawyer, please tell us a bit about your background in the area of intelligence and national security.

My interest began as an intern and aide to Florida Congressman Charlie Bennett (D. Jax Fla). I worked for him in Washington and then in Florida during his campaign for the Senate. He was the Vice-Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and assigned me to work on Military issues. He was also on the House Intel Committee and a WWII hero. When I started practicing law, I became counsel to and then Trustee of a Trust for Russian citizens. My job was to distribute money behind the Iron Curtain to these beneficiaries and insure that they, not the government, were getting the money. This went on for quite some time and I worked occasionally through the State Department and with the official state-owned Russian law firm to get them these periodic payments, which were substantial to them.  I was introduced to Ted Shackley, who was the Associate Director of Operations of the CIA and had been stationed in Miami, as head of the CIA operation known as "JM WAVE".  It was the largest operation outside of Langley HQ and employed over 1500 employees, many of whom were Cubans who worked undercover and many of whom are prominent citizens today--who have never revealed their covers.  The University of Miami was the cover for JM WAVE and the HQ was at the South Campus. Several adjunct professors were actually CIA Officers. Shackley became head of CIA in Laos and other locations and became quite famous. He is somewhat infamously depicted in an unauthorized book "The Blond Ghost" and in his own book, "Spy Master", published after his death.

Early in my law career, I was introduced to many notable "Spy Masters", became a Life Member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, received their highest award for contributions to the Intel Community, and was recruited by John Sears (former head of the RNC) to take on some cases at the request of Reagan DCI Casey. I was asked to represent General Richard Secord, CIA officer Thomas Clines, General John K. Singlaub, and members of the Nicaraguan Opposition Army (the "Contras") and others. I continued to take on cases and sensitive matters relating to intelligence officers. After 9/11, I was asked to volunteer for the Coast Guard to help organize a test program called "Operation On Guard" (like a waterway neighborhood watch). It was an intelligence program to train captains to watch for terrorism suspects.  The Coast Guard then took it nationwide and we received a Commendation from the Commandant. My law partners never knew what I was doing, but it was fun to make them salute me in uniform.  Intel officers in the Clandestine Service are generally left out in the cold when they retire and need help sometimes with the "afterglow" of their careers.  

Such was the case for Ted Shackley, when a left wing group called the Christic Institute launched a well-financed lawsuit aided by Hillary Clinton in Miami Federal Court. There were 23 defendants, almost all of whom were former CIA officers. We won the case and Cert. was denied in the Supreme Court. We won $1.2 Million in Sanctions and put the group out of business. I have since acted as private counsel, in with CIA on occasion, when officers need help. Currently I am handling Italy v. Robert Seldon Lady, an officer who retired after an extraordinary rendition in Italy of an Egyptian jihadist. He was convicted in absentia and I requested a pardon by the President of Italy. It is a widely reported matter on the internet and is an example of the tragedy that can follow an officer after a life of secret service to our nation.  It is fundamentally unfair and I have fought to have officers like Bob made whole in recognition of their contribution at the point of the spear. Sometimes I have actually been successful. But memories fade quickly as we move away from 9/11.

2.  What kinds of threats are the U.S. and U.S. companies currently facing?

Because our systems are so interrelated, and our grids so interdependent, huge attacks can put us back into the 4th Century.  The Intel Community believes that systems have been placed into our cybersystems by China, Russia and Iran which will lie in wait for tactical time to strike. It is not a secret that these fears are a high priority and an effort is underway to seek them out. The USA is being attacked hourly by various groups of hackers, some state-sponsored-- who are retrieving identities, social security numbers, credit card data, etc. at a furious pace. USA companies are therefore facing exposure from our enemies, gangs of hackers, lawyers suing them for negligence in the maintenance of defensive systems, and the US government which is increasingly aggressive as voters scream outrage at the plundering of their property. It is an ugly scene. It is causing fear and trepidation, loss of confidence in the commercial and monetary systems—precisely what our enemies want.

3. We have seen an uptick in state-sponsored cyber incidents in recent years in both the private and public arenas. How do should we be dealing with this problem? 

I think that we are doing all we can. The Obama Administration has been aggressive in pushing the business and public sectors to get on top of the daily variations of attack mechanisms.  This is a case, in my view where more and more is better.  It is also a question of Science and we have the best and brightest at work. Unfortunately, I suspect that working in the Labs are agents of foreign governments stealing our innovations. We are educating some of them. We cannot do anything about that as an open and somewhat free society.  In our book, I have placed an appendix of the programs launched by the Obama Administration to get industry and government sharing data and innovations.  We just need to innovate faster and better—and we will.

4. Do you see this more as an attempt to acquire our IP or as a search for information to exploit people for the benefit of foreign governments?

We have been stealing secrets and exploiting agents in Russia and China and elsewhere for decades.  They are doing it to us.  They feel morally justified in engaging in theft and it also happens to be profitable. We simply do not have enough FBI agents or enough bold CIA officers to compete with what the Russians and Chinese are doing to us.  We are swamped. Think about the numbers of Chinese and Russian students, etc. in the USA. These are highly disciplined people and it takes an army of FBI agents to track them down. Moreover, we have the Snowdens of our own country to deal with.  So we are in a State of undeclared War and we do not have the resources to do anything but pick at it. President Obama's "agreement" with the Chinese to lay down cyber weapons was a plea for mercy. The Chinese and Russians want every discovery and innovation we have. And, in addition, they want anything they can steal to exploit intelligence officers, cover companies, etc.

5. Given the recent controversy about Hilary Clinton's private server, how serious is that breach from a legal perspective and a national security perspective?

It is huge.  Given what I have said above, the Chinese, Russians, Iranians, Cubans, WIKI LEAKS, must be feasting on the juicy info in those emails. Being occasionally cynical and having litigated with her (American Physicians vs. Clinton), I wonder whether this excuse covers an intentional act. Did she leave the Safe Open on purpose? None of us will probably have the evidence unless the next Administration launches a full inquiry. But who knows what was in the emails?  For example, does she opine where President Obama was on the night of Benghazi when he disappeared and could not be reached? From both a legal perspective and a national security perspective, this is a huge case. If you or I or anyone else in the government had done this, we would be ( or should be ) lawyered up, wearing the Fifth Amendment.

6. With the U.S. government's foray into cyber war like the Stuxnet virus that took down centrifuges in Iran, have we opened Pandora's box?

It was already opened.  This has been going on a long time between governments, but it has been at a low level. The attacks on USA companies and government are just opening salvos and a type of "grey mail".  Unless we devise a different, more aggressive approach, we are in for lots of pain. But maybe we will innovate out of the mess. We developed Stealth technology and lots of other miracles—we need another big one.

7. How does this end? Are there parallels to be drawn to America's entrance into WWII (are we being drawn into this by hostile acts) or to the space race (are we competing and trying to develop a competitive advantage)?

I am not nearly smart or experienced enough to suggest "an end."  My guess is that we continue to spar. Unless a nutcase like North Korea sparks a nuclear war that we are not prepared for.  A destroyed USA destroys the world economy.  Without WalMart, China is toast.  Our global economy is so interdependent, an economic flu in a major country might bring a heart attack somewhere else.  But our beloved America is right up against a wall. Massive debt, huge unemployment, social upheaval--- we all know the parameters are ugly and getting massively uglier by the day.  We have abandoned the manned "space race".  We now have to ride on Russian rockets at whatever price they want to charge. Obama closed the Moon project and China is about to launch a massive program to land on and mine the Moon for Helium 3 and other important minerals. The European Space Agency and the Russians have just announced a joint extensive Moon Base project. We have no similar program. There is no definitive Moon Treaty. We will de-orbit the space station probably by 2021.  We gave the manned space program to friends of President Obama—SpaceX—and the first launch exploded—costing millions of lost precious tax dollars. It is another fine mess. And it will take 20 years (if we start today) to straighten it out.

Q and A with Florida Representative Carlos Trujillo

1. Tell us something about yourself that isn't readily apparent from your FL House profile.

Rep. Trujillo: I'm the managing partner of a 15 person law firm.  

2. Why did you decide to become an attorney?

. Rep. Trujillo:  I've always been interested in the law. Since an early age, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. 

3. What is the most interesting case you've worked on? 

Rep. Trujillo:  As a prosecutor I tried a case against a pro se defendant facing 40 years.  He was found guilty and held in contempt twice throughout the course of the trial. 

4. Who is the most interesting lawyer you've worked with?

Rep. Trujillo:  Andrew Vargas, my law partner.  No two days are the same.  

5. If you could have dinner with 3 people, alive or deceased, who would the 3 be and why?

Rep. Trujillo:  

     Jesus Christ

     Abraham Lincoln

     Martin Luther king

Three men displayed immense courage through challenging times. 

6. What are your legislative priorities right now? What are you working on?

Rep. Trujillo:  I'm working on some parent choice education bills. 

7. How has being a lawyer helped you in your work as a legislator?

Rep. Trujillo: Understanding the constitution and being able to interpret statutes is a big advantage for a lawyer/ legislator.

8. What can Florida Republican lawyers 

Rep. Trujillo:  Defend the constitution.  Push back on judicial activism.  

Q and A with Florida Representative Charles McBurney

1.         Tell us something about yourself that isn't readily apparent from your FL House profile.

Rep. McBurney: Since I originally did my profile, I have become a grandfather.

2.         Why did you decide to become an attorney?

Rep. McBurney: I saw the movie "Inherit the Wind" as a child with Spencer Tracy as Clarence Darrow and decided that being a lawyer would be better than working for a living. 

 3.        Who is the most interesting lawyer you've worked with?

Rep. McBurney: There are so many, but I'll choose my former boss at the State Attorney's Office in Jacksonville, Ed Austin.  He was the very model of integrity and courage, a true "John Wayne" figure.  All of us at that office looked up to him not only as a lawyer we'd like to be, but a person we'd like to become. 

4.         How has being a lawyer helped you in your work as a legislator?

Rep. McBurney: Being a lawyer is tremendously helpful as a legislator and being a legislator has been very helpful as a lawyer.  As a lawyer who is a legislator, you focus on the details of legislation and the ramifications of how even a single word can make the difference between a good bill or a bad one, much more than a non-lawyer.  A lawyer is also trained to spot issues that many non-lawyer colleagues just don't have the background to do.  As a legislator, you see the larger picture of how a bill becomes law and that can be very helpful in the practice. 

5.         What can Florida Republican lawyers  do to help the legislature in the future?

Rep. McBurney: Probably the biggest contribution, particularly to me as Chair of Judiciary, would be for the Florida Republican Lawyer's Association to serve as a resource on legislation or for ideas regarding possible legislation.  Florida Republican lawyers are some of the best and brightest in our state and their input and expertise would be extremely valuable to the process.

Q and A with Florida Representative Paul Renner, a former RNLA Chapter Leader

1. Did being so involved in RNLA as a leading authority on military voting and a chapter leader help you?
   
   

Rep. Renner:  During my participation in RNLA, including as Chair of the Florida Chapter during the 2010 election, it became increasingly clear that our state legislatures play a critical role in making it easier to vote, but harder to cheat.  During the campaign, a number of our statewide RNLA members supported our campaign through donations and by making helpful introductions.  I stay in close contact with our RNLA members on potential areas for reform and will continue to seek their helpful ideas going forward.

2. Any favorite memories of your time with RNLA that you would like to share? 

Rep. Renner:  I especially enjoyed RNLA’s annual Election Law Conference.  It provides an opportunity to connect with like-minded attorneys around the country and visit them in their hometown.  Thanks to RNLA, I have visited San Antonio, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Grand Rapids and other great cities.  The conferences are a great resource.  If you have never attended, I strongly recommend that you do.

3. How did your experience in the military influence you?

Rep. Renner: Without question, my service in the military instilled in me a deep commitment to public service.  It also provided a level of discipline that serves you well when you are knocking on doors in the near 100 degree heat of our Florida summers.

4. What more needs to be done to ensure that our overseas military have the opportunity to vote?

Rep Renner: We need to continue to leverage technology and find a secure mechanism for military members to vote while preventing any opportunity for fraud.  Through the use of the military’s common access card (CAC) as well as fingerprint technology in use today, we should look for ways to eliminate the time delay experienced by men and women serving overseas who want to vote.  The time delay in sending and receiving a mailed absentee ballot often results in a vote that never gets counted.  Until we settle on a secure form of electronic voting for those serving overseas, we need to continue to work with DoD to expedite the delivery of mailed ballots.

5. What are your legislative priorities right now? What are you working on?

Rep. Renner: We have a great group of conservatives in the Florida House.  Those of us who are new to the chamber have been in discussions about big, consequential conservative reforms that we can promote, including tax and regulatory reform, expanding school choice, and working to restore federalism by pushing back against the federal government’s overreach.

6. How can Florida Republican lawyers help the legislature in the future?

Rep. Renner: We need our RNLA attorneys to provide ideas for policy reforms, support candidates running for office and even consider running themselves.

Representative Greg Steube Interview

Representative Greg Steube recently shared some of his story and thoughts with the RNLA: Read about his inspiration and legislative priorities.

​1.                   Tell us something about yourself that isn't readily apparent from your FL House profile.

Rep. Stuebe:       I own a real estate investment company and I greatly enjoy working on real estate. 

2.                   Why did you decide to become an attorney?

Rep. Stuebe:       So that I would have a legal background to be in the legislature or involved in the law making process. 

3.                   What is the most interesting case you've worked on?

Rep. Stuebe:       The foreclosure cases have been interesting to deal with. 

4.                   Who is the most interesting lawyer you've worked with?

Rep. Stuebe:       Bill Partridge. He is a great litigator and a great mentor. 

5.                   If you could have dinner with 3 people, alive or deceased, who would the 3 be and why?

Rep. Stuebe:       Abraham Lincoln, John Adams and George Washington.  They experienced so many challenges and had the incredible leadership to overcome them and saw our country during an incredible time in our history. 

6.                   What are your legislative priorities right now? What are you working on?

Rep. Stuebe:       Cutting the tax on commercial leases, repealing the prohibition for conceal permit carry holders to carry their firearm on college and university campuses, medical marijuana and alcohol regulations. 

7.                   How has being a lawyer helped you in your work as a legislator?

Rep. Stuebe:       It has been a huge advantage to have a legal background as a legislator and to actively practice law, you get to see the law as it is applied and greatly helps you to understand the impacts of what we do in the legislature. 

8.            What can Florida Republican lawyers do tohelp the legislature in the future?  

Rep. Stuebe: Help elect Republican Lawyers to the House and Senate. 

An Interview with Florida Representative Jose Felix Diaz

Representative Jose Felix Diaz recently shared his story with the RNLA. Read about why he became a lawyer, and how his profession influences his role as a FL Representative.

Tell us something about yourself that isn't readily apparent from your FL House profile.

I am a gigantic sports fan.  My dad actually played baseball at the University of Miami and I grew up playing youth baseball (and basketball) at Tamiami Park.  In high school, I played five different sports and was equally bad at all of them.  The only reason I made the teams was because I was so tall that I could do the portions of the sport that were meant for the big guys.  When I went to the University of Miami, I was there for two national football championship games, and one baseball championship.  Needless to say, I am big Hurricane fan and try to travel to away games as much as possible. 

Why did you decide to become an attorney?

My grandfather and uncle were medical doctors, so I always thought that I would be a pediatrician growing up.  In fact, I started off at the University of Miami as a pre-med student, studying biology and chemistry.  One of my dad's cousins worked at the Parkinson's Institute on the Jackson Medical Campus and I got an internship there during college.   As part of my internship, we would do experiments on rodents; and it didn't always end well for the rats.  I remember being so upset by the death of the animals, that I asked myself routinely how I would react if something happened to an actual human patient of mine.  After some introspection, and several constitutional law courses as an undergrad, I decided to switch my major(s) to Political Science / English and become a pre-law student (my Junior year). 

If you could have dinner with 3 people, alive or deceased, who would the 3 be and why?

Rather than go too deep on this – I will stick to the theme of question number one.  Growing up, my childhood sports idols were (and continue to be):

                a.  Michael Jordan

                b.  Dan Marino; and

                c.  Cal Ripken, Jr.

What are your legislative priorities right now? What are you working on?

My legislative priorities are usually pretty consistent.  As a sitting board member of the Children's Trust, I take kids issues very seriously, including child welfare.  For the past three years, I have been working hard on extending Kidcare coverage to minors in our State.  I also chair the Regulatory Affairs Committee, so I spend a significant amount of time trying to come up with ways for our state's energy sources to be diverse, well-priced and reliable.  I have sponsored my chamber's energy package for the past few years, and it is always interesting to see how proactive we are as a state in comparison to some of our Southern neighbors.

How has being a lawyer helped you in your work as a legislator?

Being a lawyer has absolutely given me an advantage as a legislator.  Many of my colleagues rely exclusively on our bill drafting department to help them come up with legislation (or at least write it).  I, on the other hand, have always drafted my own bills, because I find it interesting and I think that I can write more efficiently than others.  Additionally, my subject matter experience/expertise is varied because of my varied legal practice.  So, I am able to debate on a whole series of subjects that others have never really dealt with – like the true impact of zoning regulations, the difficulties of operating a business in an over-regulated environment, and the importance of truly protecting someone's real property rights.  There is a perception out there that most of the legislature is made up of attorneys and that could not be further from the truth.  There are actually very few practicing attorneys in the Florida House and I believe that those of us that are licensed attorneys carry an increased burden of making sure that every single piece of legislation that we draft, and vote on, is constitutional and protects the rights of our fellow Floridians.