Attorney General Moody Urges Congress to Pass the FIGHT Fentanyl Act to Help End the Opioid Crisis

Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Congressional leaders to enact the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting Fentanyl Act. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan filed the Act, HR 3269, on the U.S. House floor. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act will permanently add fentanyl-related compounds to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Currently, fentanyl analogues are only temporarily Schedule I controlled substances through Oct. 22. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act will permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. A companion bill, SB 339, has been filed by Sens. Rob Portman and Joe Manchin.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I want to thank Representative Buchanan for filing this important legislation. It is so very important that we continue to fight the opioid epidemic claiming thousands of lives in our state. Permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I controlled substance would be an important step forward in this fight. As the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic may be contributing to an increase in the illicit use of fentanyl, we cannot wait any longer to take action—countless American lives are at stake.” Read More

Attorney General Moody Holds Roundtable Discussion with Venezuelan Exiles Including Venezuelan Supreme Court Justices in Exile with Firsthand Knowledge of the Dangers of Court Packing

Ahead of the first meeting of President Joe Biden’s commission on packing the U.S. Supreme Court, Attorney General Ashley Moody is meeting with Venezuelan exiles, including Venezuelan Supreme Court Justices in exile, who fled the country to evade authoritarian rule. Attorney General Moody held a roundtable discussion in Miami on Tuesday, with 12 former Venezuelan judges, elected leaders and legal experts to discuss court packing.

The exiles told the Attorney General that court packing was a key component of the totalitarian takeover of Venezuela and has led to the imprisonment and torture of those speaking out against political corruption. President Biden’s Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, which will explore adding justices to SCOTUS, is scheduled to hold an inaugural meeting online Wednesday.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We should not silence the voices of those political exiles forced to flee Venezuela under the threat of an authoritarian regime. Nor, should we fail to connect the dots from court packing in the early 2000s to the chaos and destruction we see today in this failing nation state.

“I am moved by what I heard from these brave exiles, many of them legal experts and Justices of the Venezuelan Supreme Court in exile, about how court packing helped unravel democracy and destroy their nation. I am calling on President Biden and every member of his Commission on the U.S. Supreme Court to meet face-to-face with Venezuelan exiles and those from other nations who saw democracy fade and socialism prevail after similar radical changes to their nations’ highest courts. Look them in the eyes and hear their stories. Then, study how court packing has elevated dictators and diminished freedom and prosperity in South American countries.” Read More

Attorney General Moody Warns President Biden’s Court-Packing Commission of the Dangers Posed by Expanding SCOTUS

Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning President Joe Biden and members of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States about the dangers posed by court packing. According to reports, commissioners will consider adding justices to SCOTUS—a political maneuver known as court packing that has helped unravel democracy and elevate totalitarian regimes in South American nations. Ahead of the meeting, Attorney General Moody held a roundtable discussion with Venezuelan exiles, including Venezuelan Supreme Court Justices in exile, who fled the country to evade authoritarian rule supported by a politically-packed high court.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I will not stand idly by while President Biden and other radicals ignore the historical travesties of court packing and the resulting demise of economies, rule of law and freedoms in other nations. Those who have witnessed firsthand the destruction of democracies and rise of dictators from these extremist attacks on a nation’s highest court must be allowed to testify before the commission in person.

“Our freedom and American democracy may depend on these voices being heard and the careful, thorough examination of historical facts. That is also why I felt compelled to personally provide comments to President Biden and his commission that is considering taking our independent judicial system down a very dangerous road.” Read More

Attorney General Moody Launches Statewide Partnership with Florida Tax Collectors to Help Fight Crime and Save Lives

Attorney General Ashley Moody announced a collaboration with the Florida Tax Collector’s Association to engage more Floridians on crucial statewide initiatives. Information and resources about important statewide crime fighting and prevention initiatives, including combating human trafficking and the opioid epidemic, avoiding scams and anonymously reporting crime, will be on display in Tax Collector offices across Florida. A delegation of North Florida Tax Collectors and Wyllie Hodges of First Coast Crime Stoppers joined Attorney General Moody at a news conference in Jacksonville to make the announcement.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I am so excited to join the Florida Tax Collector’s Association to help distribute important crime prevention information and resources to even more Floridians. Human trafficking, the opioid abuse and consumer scams affect the lives of Floridians on a daily basis and knowing how to properly respond to each of these unique situations is crucial and, in some instances, could help save a life. I am grateful to each of the Florida Tax Collector’s offices that will begin displaying information from our office to better engage and educate our communities on these issues that affect all Floridians.” Read More