Case Title: In Re: Amendments To Florida Rule Of Judicial Administration 2.215(B)(10)

Citation: 

Docket Number: SC10-1867

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2011-02-24T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC10-1867 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE OF JUDICIAL 
ADMINISTRATION 2.215(b)(10). 
 
[February 24, 2011] 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
On its own motion, the Court amends Florida Rule of Judicial 
Administration 2.215, Trial Court Administration.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. 
V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.; Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.140(g)(1). 
 
Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.215(b)(10) establishes the requisite 
minimum felony trial experience and educational training of circuit court judges 
necessary to preside over capital cases, and the responsibility of the chief judge in 
assigning capital cases.  In In re Amendments to Florida Rule of Judicial 
Administration 2.215, 978 So. 2d 805 (Fla. 2008), the Court amended subdivision 
(b)(10)(C) to clarify when a circuit judge must take the capital case refresher 
 
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course to remain in compliance with the rule.1 
 
As indicated by the 1997 Court Commentary to then-numbered Florida Rule 
of Judicial Administration 2.050,2 the Court intended that the three-year judicial 
education reporting period be the time frame in which a judge could take the 
capital refresher course in order to remain qualified to preside over death penalty 
cases.  The Court’s amendment to rule 2.215 as set out in the appendix to this 
opinion returns subdivision (b)(10)(C) to the original period contemplated when 
the Court first amended the rule to include the refresher course requirement.  See 
In re Amendment to the Fla. Rules of Judicial Administration, Rule 2.050(b)(10), 
701 So. 2d 864, 865 (Fla. 1997). 
Accordingly, we amend Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.215 as 
reflected in the appendix to this opinion.  New language is indicated by 
underscoring and deletions are indicated by struck-through type.  The amendment 
shall become effective immediately upon release of this opinion.  However, 
                                          
 
1.  The Court’s amendments also reorganized rule 2.215(b)(10) by 
separating the requirements for trial court judges to serve in capital cases into 
subdivisions, clarifying that the judge must have presided for a minimum of six 
months in a felony division, adding the alternative of presiding in a division that 
includes felony criminal cases, and allowing for waiver of the requirements.  In re 
Amendments to Fla. Rule of Judicial Admin. 2.215, 978 So. 2d at 805. 
  
2.   The Florida Rules of Judicial Administration were renumbered, effective 
September 21, 2006.  In re Amendments to the Fla. Rules of Judicial Admin.—
Reorganization of the Rules, 939 So. 2d 966, 966-967 (Fla. 2006).  Rule 2.050 
became rule 2.215. 
 
 
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because the Court did not publish the amendment for comment prior to its 
adoption, interested persons shall have sixty days from the date of this opinion in 
which to file comments with the Court.3 
 
It is so ordered. 
CANADY, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, LABARGA, 
and PERRY, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 
 
Original Proceeding – The Judicial Administration Committee 
 
Katherine Eastmoore Giddings, Chair, Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 
Committee, Akerman Senterfitt, Tallahassee, Florida, and John F. Harkness, Jr., 
Executive Director and Jodi Beth Jennings, Bar Liaison, The Florida Bar, 
Tallahassee, Florida, 
 
 
for Petitioner 
                                          
 
 
3.  An original and nine paper copies of all comments must be filed with the 
Court on or before April 25, 2011, as well as a separate request for oral argument if 
the person filing the comment wishes to participate in oral argument, which may 
be scheduled in this case.  Electronic copies of all comments also must be filed in 
accordance with the Court's administrative order In re Mandatory Submission of 
Electronic Copies of Documents, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC04-84 (Sept. 13, 
2004) (on file with Clerk, Fla. Sup.Ct.). 
 
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APPENDIX 
RULE 2.215. 
TRIAL COURT ADMINISTRATION 
 
(a)  [No Change] 
(b)  [No Change] 
(1)-(9)  [No Change] 
(10)  
 
  (A)-(B)  [No  Change] 
 
  (C)  Following attendance at the ―Handling Capital Cases‖ course, a judge 
shall remain qualified to preside over a capital case for three calendar years, and 
may maintain that qualification by attending a ―Capital Case Refresher‖ course 
once during each following three-year period of the subsequent continuing judicial 
education (CJE) reporting periods.  A judge who has attended the ―Handling 
Capital Cases‖ course and who has not taken the ―Capital Case Refresher‖ course 
within three years any subsequent continuing judicial education reporting period 
must requalify to preside over a capital case by attending the refresher course. 
 
 (D)  [No Change] 
 
(c)-(i)  [No Change]