Constitutional Law, State and Federal

While we handle many different legal cases at the Woodring Law Firm, constitutional cases are a top priority. Mr. Woodring has been involved in numerous high-profile constitutional cases in Florida over the past twenty-five years, including cases involving the right to privacy; racial and religious discrimination; collective bargaining; school choice; charter schools; proposed constitutional amendments; ballot summary and title cases; single subject challenges; budget vetoes and proviso language disputes; fiscal impact statement challenges; tax and budget reform; eliminating race as a factor in awarding government contracts and admissions to the state university system; free speech cases; religious freedom matters; redistricting issues; election law cases like Bush v. Gore; defending statutes against ACLU challenges; cases involving ‘choose life’ license plates; parental notification; parental rights; equitable educational funding; and the governance of Florida’s education system, including the roles of the Board of Governors, the State Universities, and the State Board of Education.

Cases involving constitutional issues are the most significant within the entire field of law and affect the most people. There is also a sense of finality in constitutional cases because cases interpreting constitutional provisions are the ultimate authority on what can be done in a particular area of the law and can only be altered by amending the constitution or if the U.S. Supreme Court or the Florida Supreme Court is convinced to change their original ruling. While every case is important, especially to the parties involved, constitutional cases are of great significance not only to those directly affected but also to everyone bound by that ruling, as they cannot be changed without a constitutional amendment or a court ruling reversal. This is one reason why amicus briefs, or “friend of the court” briefs, are often filed in constitutional cases by individuals who are concerned about the outcome but are not parties to the case.

Broadly defined, a constitutional case occurs whenever a portion of a state or federal constitution needs interpretation. Constitutional cases often involve alleging or defending a statute, administrative rule, or executive action as violating the state or federal constitution. Less frequently, they may involve defending a state constitutional provision as being unconstitutional under the Federal Constitution or as preempted by federal law.

If you believe you have a constitutional claim, need to defend against a constitutional challenge, want help amending the constitution or defeating a proposed amendment, think a statute or rule is unconstitutional, or are concerned about how a constitutional case you heard about might affect you, please contact us. We are happy to discuss any potential constitutional case with you.