The Florida Supreme Court issued three opinions from May 1-7. As of May 7, the court issued 34 opinions in 2023 — 12 fewer than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below:
- The Florida Bar v. Brian P. Rush, where the court approved “the referee’s report in its entirety and [suspended] Rush from the practice of law for three years.”
- Melton v. State, where the court “affirmed the order of the circuit court summarily denying Appellant’s sixth successive motion for post-conviction relief under Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.851, holding that the circuit court did not err in summarily denying the motion.”
- In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.013, where the court amended Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.013 (Detention Petition and Order).
From May 1-7, state supreme courts issued 156 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 22. State supreme courts in Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 91 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 2,357 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,315 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,042. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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