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Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Monday argued the Florida Supreme Court should reject a petition filed by a Palm Beach County attorney alleging that top state officials have improperly tried to interfere with a November referendum on abortion rights.
Adam Richardson, of Lake Worth, filed the petition Sept. 10 amid a controversy about an Agency for Health Care Administration webpage and video public-service announcement about abortion issues.
While the agency contends the information presents facts, critics said the information is biased against a ballot measure, known as Amendment 4, that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.
Richardson asked the Supreme Court to issue what is known as a writ of quo warranto to Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moody “forbidding them from misusing or abusing their offices to interfere with the election for Amendment 4, and to unravel whatever actions they have already taken to do so.”
But in a 32-page response Monday, lawyers in Moody’s office said the petition should be rejected for a series of reasons. “Petitioner is free to disagree with the content of the webpage, but he has no right to silence respondents (Weida, DeSantis and Moody) from voicing their serious concerns about the proposed amendment and the misinformation spread by its proponents,” the response said. “Respondents in fact have a duty to inform the public about those concerns. That is not ‘(interference) with an election.’ It is just good government.”
