The Florida Supreme Court issued two opinions from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 38 opinions in 2023 — 13 fewer than this point a year ago. Both of the opinions are below:
- Orme v. State, where the court “affirmed the sentence of death imposed at Defendant’s second resentencing for first-degree murder, holding that … (1) Defendant’s sentence did not violate the Eighth Amendment; and (2) Defendant’s remaining arguments lacked merit.”
- Foley v. State, where the court “dismissed Petitioner’s pro se petition for writ of mandamus and sanctioned him for his repeated misuse of the judicial system’s resources, holding that … Petitioner’s petition was frivolous and that Petitioner demonstrated a pattern of vexatious filing of meritless pro se requests for relief.”
From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.
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 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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