Dismissing concerns of a constitutional crisis, lawyers for Gov. Rick Scott asked the Florida Supreme Court to reject a petition that seeks to bar Scott from appointing three new justices on his last day in office.

In a 38-page reply to a filing last month by a pair of voting-rights organizations, Scott's office said the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause jumped the gun by asking the Supreme Court to step in now and referee a simmering dispute.

Scott has asserted that he has the right to appoint replacements for three Supreme Court justices who will leave the court in early 2019 because of the mandatory retirement age for judges.