Historically, state supreme courts have the responsibility of making sure that decisions made by lower courts do not go against the state constitution. However, Florida has had a version of its supreme court since the adoption of British common law in 1776, which forced the judicial body to be consistent in their rulings over time. However, as Florida long remained a colony of Spain, the Spanish laws held a great deal of influence over the lives of the citizens of Florida, even after Florida was ceded to the newly formed United States. The early Floridian judicial system ruled on local lawsuits and land disputes based on Spanish law, but adhered to the belief that all court cases should be treated equally. The Florida Supreme Court that exists today was formed in 1845 at the unification of East and West Florida, to interpret the laws that were part of the newly ratified state constitution.
The supreme court of Florida has gone through a great deal of minor changes, but still has the same purpose today: protect the rights of Floridians. At least five of the seven judges must be in attendance for a decision to be possible, and a simple majority is all that is required for a proposal to pass. Justices of the Floridian Supreme Court must be registered citizens of Florida, and are required to have been practitioners of Florida law for at least ten years. Judges used to be voted into office by the public, but due to the problems caused by running for office, a system was proposed which has grown into today’s merit retention system*.
*Justices are appointed to office by the governor, and are allowed to stay in office as long as the Floridian citizens agree by popular vote that they should continue.
Fun Fact #1:
From 1885 until 1925, the Florida Constitution established a very unusual method of choosing the Chief Justice. Back then, it was done “by lot.” The Justices found the idea of cutting cards or other games of chance undignified, so they settled upon a very special method. They would take the Bible or a newly purchased law book and each would randomly open it. The Chief Justice was the one who opened a page whose first word began with the letter closest to the letter Z.
R. Fred Lewis
• Born 1947 in West Virginia
• Married in 1969, two children.
• Graduated University of Miami School of Law in 1972
• Attended United States Army A.G. School, graduated as the Commander of the Corps of Cadets.
• Entered private practice after discharge until being appointed to the Florida Supreme court.
Appointed to the Florida Supreme court on January 1, 1999
Appointed By: Lawton Chiles
Barbara J. Pariente
• Born in New York City in 1948
• Floridian since 1973
• Graduated fifth in her class from George Washington University Law School in 1973
• Became a partner and eventually started her own firm, both specializing in civil trial litigation.
Appointed to the Florida Supreme court on December 10, 1997
Appointed By: Lawton Chiles
Peggy Quince
• Born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1948
• Married with two daughters
• Received her J.D. Degree from the Catholic University of America in 1975.
• Recipient of two honorary Dr. of law degrees.
• Spent three years handling death penalty cases exclusively.
Appointed to the Florida Supreme court on December 8, 1998
Appointed By: Lawton Chiles / Jeb Bush
Ricky Polston
• Born in Dothan, Alabama in 1956
• Married with ten children, six of them adopted.
• Holds degrees from four universities.
• Has served on many judicial boards.
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida on October 1, 2008
Appointed By: Charlie Crist
Charles T. Canady
• Born in Lakeland, Florida in 1954
• Married with two children
• Graduated from Yale Law School in 1979
• Served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives.
• Served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Was part of the House Judiciary Committee.
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida on August 27, 2008
Appointed By: Charlie Crist
Jorge Labarga
• Born in Cuba in 1952
• Married with two children.
• Graduated from the University of Florida in 1979
• Entered practice, specialized in injury litigation and criminal justice.
• Served in the family, civil, and criminal divisions of the Palm Beach circuit court.
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida on January 1st, 2009
Appointed By: Charlie Crist
James E.C. Perry
• Born in New Bern, North Carolina in 1944.
• Married with three children.
• Served in the U.S. army as a First Lieutenant.
• Graduated from Colombia Law School in 1972.
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida on March 11, 2009
Appointed By: Charlie Crist
Fun Fact #2:
When the eastern portion of the present Supreme Court building was built in the late 1940s an odd collection of materials were placed inside the cornerstone. Among the items still inside the cornerstone is a photograph of a Seminole Indian Chief playing golf at Fort Myers.