Title: In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.140

State: florida

Issuer: Florida Supreme Court

Document:

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC15-2296 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE OF APPELLATE 
PROCEDURE 9.140. 
 
[June 30, 2016] 
REVISED OPINION 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
This matter is before the Court for consideration of proposed amendments to 
Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.140.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 
2(a), Fla. Const. 
The Florida Supreme Court’s Criminal Court Steering Committee (Steering 
Committee) filed a petition proposing amendments to rule 9.140(g) (Appeal 
Proceedings in Criminal Cases; Briefs).  The Steering Committee’s proposal arose 
from a June 19, 2015, request from the Court to consider whether a rule 
amendment to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure was necessary to address 
the circumstances when a sentencing error is identified in the course of an Anders 
v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), review.  The Court further directed the Steering 
 
 
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Committee to consider whether other changes to the appellate rules related to the 
adjudication of Anders cases would be beneficial. 
In considering the Court’s referral, the Steering Committee included liaisons 
from the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee and the Appellate Court Rules 
Committee.  The Steering Committee also received input from the Florida Public 
Defender Association and the Office of the Attorney General.  The Steering 
Committee first published its proposed amendment to rule 9.140(g) in the 
September 15, 2015, edition of The Florida Bar News.  The Steering Committee 
received two comments, and made changes to its proposal accordingly.  The 
Steering Committee then republished its revised proposal to amend rule 9.140(g), 
in the November 1, 2015, edition of The Florida Bar News.  One comment was 
filed in response to the Steering Committee’s proposal.  The Steering Committee 
subsequently filed a response and new appendix with the Court, modifying its 
proposal to amend rule 9.140(g)(1) in response to the comment.  The Court did not 
publish the Steering Committee’s proposal following that submission. 
Upon consideration of the Steering Committee’s report and the comments 
received by the Steering Committee, the Court amends rule 9.140(g) as follows.  
The existing language in subdivision (g) is renumbered subdivision (g)(1) and 
given the title “Briefs on the Merits.”  Subdivision (g)(1) includes initial briefs 
filed pursuant to new subdivision (g)(2)(A), which addresses the circumstances 
 
 
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when an arguable issue is identified in the course of an Anders review.  In addition, 
the word “transmission” is substituted for the word “service.”  New subdivision 
(g)(2)(A) codifies Anders case law.  New subdivision (g)(2)(B) specifically 
addresses the handling of unpreserved sentencing, disposition, or commitment 
order errors, and allows for a motion to be filed in the trial court to correct the 
error.  Specifically, subdivision (g)(2)(B) governs whether the brief should be 
struck for filing of a Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(b)(2) motion to 
correct an unpreserved sentencing error, or a Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 
8.135(b)(2) motion to correct an unpreserved disposition or commitment error.  
Finally, the last sentence in subdivision (g)(2)(B) allows the court to set deadlines 
in order to keep the case on track for timely disposition. 
Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure as 
reflected in the appendix to this opinion.  New language is indicated by 
underscoring.  The amendments shall become effective July 1, 2016, at 12:01 a.m.  
Because the Court did not publish the proposed amendments prior to their 
adoption, interested persons shall have sixty days from the date of this opinion in 
which to file with the Court comments to any of the rules herein adopted or 
amended.1 
                                          
 
 
1.  All comments must be filed with the Court on or before August 29, 2016, 
with a certificate of service verifying that a copy has been served on the Florida 
Supreme Court Criminal Court Steering Committee Chair, The Honorable Jay 
 
 
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It is so ordered. 
LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, 
and PERRY, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 
 
Original Proceeding – Criminal Court Steering Committee 
 
Judge Jay Paul Cohen, Chair, Criminal Court Steering Committee, Daytona Beach, 
Florida, and Barton Neil Schneider, Staff Liaison, Office of the State Courts 
Administrator, Tallahassee, Florida, 
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
Julianne M. Holt, Public Defender, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Tampa, Florida, 
 
 
Responding with Comments  
 
                                          
 
Cohen, c/o Bart Schneider, Office of the General Counsel, 500 S. Duval Street, 
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1925, schneidb@flcourts.org, 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.  The Committee Chair has 
until September 19, 2016, to file a response to any comments filed with the Court.  
If filed by an attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar, the comment must be 
electronically filed via the Portal in accordance with In re Electronic Filing in the 
Supreme Court of Florida via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, Fla. Admin. Order 
No. AOSC13-7 (Feb 18, 2013).  If filed by a nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to 
practice in Florida, the comment must be electronically filed via e-mail in 
accordance with In re Mandatory Submission of Electronic Copies of Documents, 
Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC04-84 (Sept. 13, 2004).  Electronically filed 
documents must be submitted in Microsoft Word 97 or higher.  Any person unable 
to submit a comment electronically must mail or hand-deliver the originally signed 
comment to the Florida Supreme Court, Office of the Clerk, 500 South Duval 
Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1927; no additional copies are required or will 
be accepted. 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
RULE 9.140. 
APPEAL PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES 
 
(a) - (f) 
   [No changes] 
 
(g) 
Briefs. 
(1) 
Briefs on the merits. Initial briefs, including those filed 
pursuant to subdivision (g)(2)(A), shall be served within 30 days of 
servicetransmission of the record or designation of appointed counsel, whichever is 
later. Additional briefs shall be served as prescribed by rule 9.210. 
 
(2) 
Anders Briefs. 
(A) 
If appointed counsel files a brief stating that an appeal 
would be frivolous, the court shall independently review the record to discover any 
arguable issues apparent on the face of the record. Upon the discovery of an 
arguable issue, other than an unpreserved sentencing, disposition, or commitment 
order error, the court shall order briefing on the issues identified by the court.  
 
(B) 
Upon discovery of an unpreserved sentencing, 
disposition, or commitment order error, the court may strike the brief and allow for 
a motion pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(b)(2) or Florida 
Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.135(b)(2) to be filed. The court’s order may contain 
deadlines for the cause to be resolved within a reasonable time. 
 
 
(h) – (i) 
[No changes] 
 
Committee Notes 
[No changes] 
 
Court Commentary 
[No changes]