TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is moving one step closer to becoming the eighth state to enact a bill prohibiting the use of foreign law by the state’s court.
The measure (SB 386) passed the Senate on Monday with a 24 to 14 vote.
Some opponents of the bill feel the action is aimed at preventing the applicability of Shariah law, which is used to govern in courts of Muslim countries, although the measure’s language does not single out any individual form of foreign law.
Proponents say it protects and ensures the use of U.S. law in state courts.
Lawmakers and lawyers in other states have debated the necessity of such laws, with some insisting that no court would use the law of a foreign court over Constitutional law.
