Court grapples with ‘legislative privilege’
TALLAHASSEE — In a dispute rooted in a lawsuit about a congressional redistricting plan, an appeals court Tuesday grappled with an attempt by the Florida House and Senate to shield lawmakers from testifying in lawsuits.
Attorneys for current and former House and Senate members ultimately want the issue to get to the Florida Supreme Court and to undo a 2013 Supreme Court decision that allowed legislative testimony in certain circumstances.
The dispute started when current and former lawmakers and staff members faced the possibility of testifying in a lawsuit challenging the 2022 redistricting plan. Their attorneys contended that a concept known as “legislative privilege” shielded them.
But as...
