Case Name: In re AMENDMENT TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, RULE 2.050(b)(10)
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1997-02-07
Citations: 688 So. 2d 320
Docket Number: No. 89798
Parties: In re AMENDMENT TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, RULE 2.050(b)(10).
Judges: KOGAN, C.J., and OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING and WELLS, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 688
Pages: 320–321

Head Matter:
In re AMENDMENT TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, RULE 2.050(b)(10).
No. 89798.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Feb. 7, 1997.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
In order to prevent the assignment of new judges with no prior experience trying criminal cases to death penalty eases, this Court hereby enacts, effective immediately, rule 2.050(b)(10), Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. The rule, which is set forth below, ensures that all judges hearing capital cases have the experience and training necessary to handle the unique demands of such proceedings.
(10) The chief judge shall ensure that no judge presides over a capital case in which the state is seeking the death penalty or collateral proceedings brought by a death row inmate until that judge has served a minimum of six months in a felony criminal division and has successfully completed the "Handling Capital Cases" course offered through the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies within the last five years. The Chief Justice may waive this requirement in exceptional circumstances at the request of the chief judge.
Pursuant to the authority of rule 2.130(a), Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, dealing with emergency rule changes, we hereby fix the date of March 31, 1997, for further consideration of the new rule. Any person wanting to comment on or seek abrogation of the new rule shall submit such comments by that date.
It is so ordered.
KOGAN, C.J., and OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING and WELLS, JJ., concur.
ANSTEAD, J., concurs specially -with an opinion, in which KOGAN, C.J., concurs.