Case Name: Barbara J. NATHANSON, Appellant, v. Maria K. KORVICK, Judge, Appellee
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1991-04-11
Citations: 577 So. 2d 943
Docket Number: No. 76153
Parties: Barbara J. NATHANSON, Appellant, v. Maria K. KORVICK, Judge, Appellee.
Judges: McDonald, GRIMES, KOGAN and HARDING, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 577
Pages: 943–944

Head Matter:
Barbara J. NATHANSON, Appellant, v. Maria K. KORVICK, Judge, Appellee.
No. 76153.
Supreme Court of Florida.
April 11, 1991.
Edward C. Vining, Jr., Miami, for appellant.
Robert A. Ginsburg, Dade Co. Atty. and Roy Wood, Asst. Co. Atty., Miami, for ap-pellee.

Opinion:
BARKETT, Justice.
Upon certification by the Third District Court of Appeal, we review an order of the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit denying Barbara Nathanson's motion to disqualify Judge Maria Korvick from presiding in her postdissolution of marriage proceedings. We affirm.
Nathanson filed a petition for modification of alimony in July 1988. In November of 1989, she moved to disqualify Judge Korvick based upon the fact that her ex-husband's attorney had both contributed to Judge Korvick's political campaign of 1988 and served on her campaign committee. Judge Korvick denied the motion, finding it insufficient on its face. Nathanson filed a petition for extraordinary relief in the district court. The district court declined to rule on the merits and certified the question to this Court pending our review of Breakstone v. MacKenzie, 561 So.2d 1164 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989), approved in part, quashed in part sub nom. MacKenzie v. Super Kids Bargain Store, Inc., 565 So.2d 1332 (Fla.1990).
In MacKenzie, we held that judges are not required to disqualify themselves based solely upon the allegation that an attorney or litigant has made a campaign contribution to the political campaign of the judge or the judge's spouse. As long as the citizens of Florida require judges to face the electorate, either through election or retention, "the resultant contributions to those campaigns . are necessary components of our judicial system." Id. at 1335. We do not find that "contributions" are limited to financial ones, and thus do not distinguish between financial contributions and services on a campaign committee. For all the reasons expressed in Mac-Kenzie, the trial judge was not obligated to recuse herself in this case.
Accordingly, we affirm the order of the circuit court.
It is so ordered.
McDonald, GRIMES, KOGAN and HARDING, JJ., concur.
OVERTON, Acting C.J., dissents with an opinion.
SHAW, C.J., recused.
We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(5) of the Florida Constitution.