TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next month as justices review a proposed amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.
As the initiative closes in on the required signature threshold to appear on the 2024 ballot, it still has a major hurdle to clear before Florida voters get to weigh in.
The abortion initiative – along with a recreational marijuana initiative with over one million valid signatures – is making its way through the Florida Supreme Court as part of the required judicial review process. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is arguing against both measures, claiming their ballot summaries are misleading to voters, which violates one of the criteria justices use in their review.
According to Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group estimated it submitted 1.4 million signatures to Supervisor of Elections offices across the state by the end of 2023. As of this report, the initiative has 863,876 valid signatures, just shy of the 891,523 required to qualify for the 2024 ballot.
“Floridians have shown that they want to see this initiative on the ballot,” Campaign Director Lauren Brenzel said in a statement last month. “The state has until February 1st, 2024 to validate petitions and we’re confident we’re going to submit enough petitions to get on the ballot.”
Oral arguments are scheduled for February 7 at 9 a.m., according to court records. Each side will have 20 minutes to argue their position.
If it appears on the 2024 ballot, the measure requires 60% voter approval to pass.
In a separate case, the Florida Supreme Court is mulling over Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, which went into effect in July 2022. A more restrictive six-week ban is tied up in the courts as justices decide the fate of the 15-week limit. If their ruling allows the 15-week law to remain in place, the 6-week ban will immediately go into effect.
Abortion rights advocates worry the overwhelmingly conservative makeup of the Florida Supreme Court, with five of the seven justices appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, means the citizen initiative is effectively dead in the water. The justices also have strong ties to the pro-life movement and legislative advocacy.
