Who wants to be a state Supreme Court justice? No one — yet

florida supreme court - inside

The panel charged with helping to find the next Florida Supreme Court justice meets in two weeks to decide which applicants to interview.

One hitch: There aren’t any yet.

That’s probably because the applications are very involved, said Jason Unger, the Tallahassee attorney who chairs the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission.

And just like guests at a party, nobody wants to be the first to arrive, he added. Unger expects applications to start rolling in this week before the Nov. 11 deadline.

The panel will screen the applications and recommend six people for consideration to Gov. Rick Scott, who makes the pick.

The opening was created by the retirement of Justice James E.C. Perry. The 72-year-old announced his retirement on Sept. 12.

He stayed past the mandatory retirement age of 70 because of a provision allowing justices whose “70th birthday occurs in the second half of their six-year term (to) remain on the bench until the full term expires.”

It will be Scott’s first appointment to the state’s high court and an opportunity to add to its conservative minority of Charles Canady and Ricky Polston.

The progressive wing includes Perry, Chief Justice Jorge Labarga, and Justices R. Fred LewisBarbara J. Pariente, and Peggy A. Quince.

Quince is the only other African-American justice on the seven-member court besides Perry.

The commission is scheduled to interview finalists on Nov. 28 and submit a list of possible replacements by Dec. 13.

 

 

Jim Rosica

Jim Rosica is the Tallahassee-based Senior Editor for Florida Politics. He previously was the Tampa Tribune’s statehouse reporter. Before that, he covered three legislative sessions in Florida for The Associated Press. Jim graduated from law school in 2009 after spending nearly a decade covering courts for the Tallahassee Democrat, including reporting on the 2000 presidential recount. He can be reached at [email protected].


One comment

  • GREG

    October 31, 2016 at 7:34 pm

    WELL I CAN DO THE JOB ! BETTER THAN THE OTHER I BEEN A SLAVE SO RIGHTS IS MY JOB

Comments are closed.


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