The three Florida Supreme Court Justices up for merit retention on this year's ballot — R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince — are going to keep their jobs, despite the unprecedented push by the Republican Party of Florida to oust them.
As of 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, all three justices each lead about 67 percent to 33 percent.
Officials with the group Defend Justice from Politics are hailing the victory.
"The need for a fair and impartial judiciary far outweighs individual disagreements with any specific opinion. Voters understood the question that was put to them and came down on the side of fair and impartial courts." —Sandy Talbot D'Alemberte, FSU professor and former American Bar Association president.
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2012.