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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jacksonville man convicted of murdering 8-year-old girl fighting for life sentence review
would Action News Jax has been following the case since Clifton was first found dead in 1998. The case has gained national attention, in part, because of its nature. Clifton's body had been found beaten and stabbed in Phillips' waterbed. He was 14 years old at the time and was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole. Phillips made his first appearance inside a Duval County courtroom on Monday since 2017. During a hearing where the judge was expected to set a date to review his sentence, his recently appointed lawyers asked for at least a few months' time in preparing a case to argue for Phillips to receive a new sentence. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The case they're expected to make is Phillips' age both when he committed the murder and when he was first convicted. Criminal defense attorney Chris Carson says the Florida Supreme Court has ruled against minors receiving a life sentence since Phillips' conviction. 'If someone was under the age of 18, there had to be some manner of opportunity for that person to seek recourse,' Carson said. Phillips and his lawyers had made this argument in Duval County court back in 2017, but he was resentenced to life in prison after the court rejected it. Court records show another attempt by his lawyers to have his sentence reviewed in 2020, but the Florida Supreme Court denied it. Carson tells Action News Jax he doesn't expect Phillips' sentence to change because of the nature of the murder and the attention it has received. 'The technical reality is he has to be given an opportunity to present that evidence,' said Carson, 'the practical reality is it would take some very compelling evidence for a judge to modify the sentence at this point.' Whatever case Phillips' lawyers decide to make, Carson said it could take months for them to build it. 'There can be things that involve, you know, psychologists, psychiatrists, even medical doctors. So, depending on the nature of the mitigation, that's going to dictate the timeline,' Carson said. The judge ordered that the next day, this case would go to court on July 8th. We're expecting to hear an update from Phillips' lawyers on where they are in building their case for a sentence review. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine Voter ID supporters challenge state's ballot language
May 12—A group campaigning to require a photo identification when voting and tighten absentee ballot access is suing the Secretary of State's office over the wording of a statewide referendum headed for the fall ballot. Supporters say the official wording misrepresents the proposal and "buries its core intent behind a string of technical and inflammatory clauses." Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and other opponents of the referendum have criticized advocates for promoting the measure only as a voter ID mandate when the proposal would also make it harder to vote absentee and make other changes to elections laws that officials say would be difficult and expensive to implement. Bellows released the final wording of the ballot question last week: "Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?" The Voter ID for ME campaign said the question "misrepresents the proposal and buries its core intent behind a string of technical and inflammatory clauses" and "fails to meet the constitutional and statutory standards of clarity, accuracy, and impartiality." "Maine voters deserve a clear, honest question — not a partisan editorial from an official who's already made her opposition clear in the press and in legislative testimony," campaign manager Alex Titcomb said in a written statement. Bellows could not be immediately reached for a response to the challenge in Cumberland County Superior Court. Bellows has been the target of criticism of Republicans after she tried to exclude Donald Trump from Maine's 2024 ballot citing the anti-insurrection clause of the U.S. Constitution and Trump's role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. She reversed course after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a similar case that state officials don't have the power to exclude a nominee from the presidential ballot. Bellows came under renewed scrutiny last month, when she formally announced that she was running in the Democratic primary for governor. Republicans called on Bellows to resign as the state's top election official, but she refused, citing past precedent. Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, who is helping lead the campaign for voter ID, accused Bellows of "misusing her power to mislead the public." "It's not just dishonest — it's undemocratic," Libby said in a written statement. The 11-page proposal, LD 1149,would require a photo ID at the polls or when a voter returns an absentee ballot, though it includes a religious exemption for those who object to being photographed. Acceptable IDs would include state driver's license or ID cards, a military ID, passport or a concealed weapons permit. It would not include student IDs. The proposal would also end the current practice of allowing absentee ballots to be requested by phone and by immediate family members, and would end a program that allows seniors and people with disabilities to receive absentee ballots for every election without making a special request each time. Additionally, the bill would prohibit municipalities such as Portland and Orono from having more than one drop box to collect absentee ballots. And it would require municipalities to have "a bipartisan team of election officials" to collect those ballots, rather than assigning the task to municipal clerks. The campaign to pass the measure has been fueled by a $500,000 donation from a national group, the Republican State Leadership Committee. The proposal drew strong opposition, including from Bellows and local elections officials, during a public hearing earlier this month. Opponents argued that Maine's elections are already secure and that the new requirements would only make it more difficult for some people to vote, including elderly residents, people with disabilities, people without reliable transportation, busy parents and shift-workers. They included AARP, the Maine Town and City Clerks Association, the Maine State Nurses Association, the Maine Education Association and the Maine Women's Lobby. Those who spoke in favor, mostly the Republican sponsors of the bills, argued they are commonsense reforms to increase confidence in elections. Libby noted that more than 171,000 voters signed the petition to place the question on the ballot, but opponents at the public hearing accused signature gatherers of only highlighting the proposal to show voter ID when casting a ballot, when the bill contained other sweeping reforms. "It is important that the legislators and the voters understand the comprehensive nature of the initiative that's before you," Bellows said at the May 2 hearing. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link
