The Florida Supreme Court issued five opinions from March 13-19. As of March 19, the court issued 19 opinions in 2023 — 12 fewer than this point a year ago. The five opinions are below:
- Sanchez-Torres v. State, where the court affirmed a lower court’s denial of a successive motion seeking vacatur of the appellant’s death sentence.
- In Re: Amendments to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, where the court amended three Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure: Judicial Review of Administrative Action, Costs and Attorneys’ Fees, and Attorneys.
- In Re: Amendments to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, where the court amended six Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure: Appeal Proceedings in Criminal Cases, Review Proceedings in Collateral or Postconviction Criminal Cases, Procedure for Review in Death Penalty Cases, Appeal Proceedings in Juvenile Delinquency Cases, Appeal Proceedings in Juvenile Dependency and Termination of Parental Rights Cases and Cases Involving Families and Children in Need of Service, and Stay Pending Review.
- Green v. Dixon, where the court denied a petition for a writ of habeas corpus because “the petition was a frivolous proceeding.”
- In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar-Miscellaneous, where the court amended Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.
From March 13-19, state supreme courts issued 142 opinions nationally. The Hawaii Supreme Court issued the most with 25. State supreme courts in 18 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 68 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 74.
The Florida Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Carlos Muñiz. The court issued 108 opinions in 2022 and 115 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,366 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 729 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 637. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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