Florida court rules on death penalty override

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Gov. Rick Scott has the authority to take death penalty cases away from Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala, who has said she won’t seek capital punishment for anyone.

Ayala, who took office in January, said research showed the death penalty was unevenly applied, put families through decadeslong ordeals, and did not deter serious crimes, among other reasons.

Scott responded to her March announcement by signing executive orders taking death penalty cases away from her office and assigning them to State Attorney Brad King of Ocala. him a national following among some conservatives.

Clarke submitted his resignation in a one-sentence letter to the county clerk that gave no reason for his departure more than a year before his term is up. In a brief statement a couple of hours later, Clarke also didn’t explain.

The national spotlight shone on Clarke during the Republican National Convention last year, when the cowboy-hat-wearing sheriff took the stage as one of the few African-Americans to speak in support of Trump’s candidacy.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel of Austin concluded that abortion providers established that, without a 14-day temporary restraining order, a Texas woman seeking an abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy could be denied access to “the most commonly used and safest” procedure available.

Yeakel also set a hearing for Sept. 14 in Austin to consider whether to issue a preliminary injunction that could bar Texas from enforcing the law into the future. officials said Thursday.

Bangladesh border guard commander Lt. Col. S.M. Ariful Islam said at least three boats carrying an unknown number of Rohingya Muslims sank in the Naf River at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday. He said the bodies of 15 children and 11 women were recovered, and it was unclear whether anyone was still missing.

Last week, Rohingya insurgents attacked at least two dozen police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, triggering fighting with security forces that left more than 100 people dead and forced at least 18,000 Rohingya to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.