Florida Supreme Court Case Could Affect Professionals’ Right to Free Speech
On June 4th the Florida Supreme Court will hear Oral Argument in a free speech case that could affect all attorneys and other professionals in the state and their basic right to free speech. The case involves Attorney Christopher W. Crowley, a former candidate for State Attorney in Florida’s 20th Circuit. Crowley was a target of a bar complaint, and the Florida Bar is trying to take away his legal license for political speech during a partisan Republican Primary race for State Attorney.
Crowley lost in a combative political campaign, against Amira Fox for State Attorney. After the campaign, Crowley was targeted with what appear to be frivolous Bar complaints by political opponents. Instead of dismissing the complaints, the Florida Bar has engaged in an anti-First Amendment crusade. The Florida State Bar charged Christopher Crowley with defamation of his political opponent, Amira Fox, after Mr. Crowley raised concerns about his political opponent during their political campaign in a Republican primary.
The referee, in the case recommended Christopher Crowley, Esq. to a 60-day suspension of his law license, for engaging in ‘controversial’ political speech during a Republican Primary campaign in Florida’s 20th district for State Attorney. Crowley appealed this decision, and the case will be heard in the Florida Supreme Court on June 4, 2025.
Nonpartisan judicial races have strict rules for attorneys campaigning for those offices, these rules have not been construed to apply to all political races. There currently is nothing in Florida Bar rules about restrictions on
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LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
