Title: Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr.

Summary: Remembering the life and legacy of the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice, upon his death, etc.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., earned a Juris Doctorate from Howard University and began his law career as an assistant professor of law at Florida A&M University, and WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1960 as one of black attorneys practicing in the state at that time, and WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., worked in private practice in Jacksonville and served as an assistant public defender and, later, as a state attorney, where he led the Capital Crimes Division and was an adviser to the grand jury, and WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., was a loving and patient father to Sherri Shaw Luke, Dione King, Dawn Sims, Sean Shaw, and the late Leander Jerry Shaw, III, and a loyal relative and friend to countless others, and WHEREAS, in 1974, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., was appointed by then-Governor Reubin Askew to the Florida Industrial Relations Commission, and, in 1979, then-Governor Bob Graham named him to the First District Court of Appeal, and WHEREAS, in 1983, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., was appointed by then-Governor Bob Graham to the Florida Supreme Court, making Justice Shaw the second black member of the high court and later, its first black Chief Justice, a position he held from 1990 to 1992, and WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., a dedicated jurist and community leader, is credited with being a pivotal force in restoring the public s faith in the integrity of the Florida Supreme Court following scandals in the 1970s, and WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., will be remembered as an outspoken critic of the state s use of the electric chair as a means of execution for capital crimes, and WHEREAS, the Honorable Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., who died December 14, 2015, at the age of 85, will long be remembered as a trailblazer in the practice of law and as a calm, insightful jurist and teacher who leaves an enduring legacy of dedication to public service, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: That the members of the Senate extend their heartfelt sympathy to his family upon the death of former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the family of former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Leander Jerry Shaw, Jr., as a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.