The Florida Supreme Court issued three opinions from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 28 opinions in 2023 —14 fewer than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below:
- Wells v. State, where the court “affirmed Defendant’s conviction of first-degree murder and sentence of death, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on any of his claims of error.”
- Sanders v. State, where the court “denied a pro se petition for writ of mandamus brought by Petitioner, a pretrial detainee in the custody of the Volusia County Jail, and sanctioned Petitioner as pro se barred.”
- Tundidor v. State, where the court “quashed the order of the trial court denying Petitioner’s motion to disqualify the judge assigned to preside over his postconviction proceedings, holding that the trial court erred in denying the motion because Petitioner provided a legally sufficient basis for disqualification.”
From April 10-16, state supreme courts issued 91 opinions nationally. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the North Dakota Supreme Court issued the most with nine. State supreme courts in 26 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 48 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 43.
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 1,883 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,029 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 854. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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