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> United States > Florida
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| Website | http://www.floridasupremecourt.org |
| Established | March 03, 1845 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | Scott³ |
| Last Modified | IndyGeorgia September 27, 2012 10:19pm |
| Description |
Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is set out in the Constitution with some degree of
flexibility by which the Legislature may add or take away certain categories of cases. The
Court must review final orders imposing death sentences, district court decisions declaring
a State statute or provision of the State Constitution invalid, bond validations, and certain
orders of the Public Service Commission on utility rates and services.
In addition to these forms of mandatory review authority, if discretionary review is sought
by a party, the Court at its discretion may review any decision of a district court of appeal
that expressly declares valid a state statute, construes a provision of the state or federal
constitution, affects a class of constitutional or state officers, or directly conflicts with a
decision of another district court or of the Supreme Court on the same question of law.
Composition
The court is composed of a Chief Justice and 6 Justices, who all serve six-year staggered
terms. The Justices elect the Chief Justice from amongst themselves. Justices must be
an elector (a qualified, registered voter) of the state and must have been a member in
good standing of The Florida Bar for at least ten years. They must retire on their 70th
birthday unless it falls within the second half of their six-year terms. In that event, they can
remain in office until the end of the full term. The term of a justice retained shall commence
on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January following the general election.
Selection
When there is a vacancy on the Court, the Governor chooses the next Justice from a list
of between three and six qualified persons recommended by the Judicial Nominating
Commission. After appointment, the new Justice must face statewide voters in the next
general election that is more than one year after the date of initial appointment. In this
"merit retention" election, voters decide only if the new Justice will remain in office. When
Justices' terms expire, their names will appear on the general election ballot for a merit
retention vote, if they wish to remain in office.
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