Case Name: In re FLORIDA BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS (two cases). In re ADMISSION OF PREVIOUSLY-CONVICTED FELONS. In re George KASTENBAUM
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1976-11-24
Citations: 341 So. 2d 503
Docket Number: Nos. 48500 and 48731
Parties: In re FLORIDA BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS (two cases). In re ADMISSION OF PREVIOUSLY-CONVICTED FELONS. In re George KASTENBAUM.
Judges: OVERTON, C. J., and ROBERTS, ADKINS, BOYD, SUNDBERG and HATCH-ETT, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 341
Pages: 503–507

Head Matter:
In re FLORIDA BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS (two cases). In re ADMISSION OF PREVIOUSLY-CONVICTED FELONS. In re George KASTENBAUM.
Nos. 48500 and 48731.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Nov. 24, 1976.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 27, 1977.
Joseph J. Gersten, Chairman, Miami, and C. Graham Crothers, Tallahassee, for petitioner — Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
George Kastenbaum, in pro per.
Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., James D. Whisenand, Deputy Atty. Gen., and Richard W. Prospect, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State of Florida.
Richard C. McFarlain, Asst. Executive Director, for The Florida Bar.
Tobias Simon and Elizabeth duFresne, Miami, for David A. Morrison.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has by petition requested certain information for its guidance in determining the admissibility of applicants to The Florida Bar.
The following questions have been submitted by the Bar with request for this Court's answers:
"1. Does Section 9A of the rules promulgated by the Governor and the Cabinet validly and automatically restore a previously convicted felon's civil rights so that he may be considered for admission to The Florida Bar?
"2. Does a conditional pardon as defined in Section 4B of the rules promulgated by the Governor and the Cabinet restore a previously convicted felon's civil rights in such a manner that he may be considered for admission to The Florida Bar?
"3. If such a conditional pardon does allow admission to The Florida Bar, what happens if the applicant breaches the condition?"
Additionally, we have for consideration the petition of George Kastenbaum, formerly a member of The Florida Bar, who was convicted of a felony in federal court and was consequently disbarred from The Florida Bar on June 29, 1972. The Florida Bar v. Kastenbaum, 263 So.2d 793 (Fla.1972). Kastenbaum seeks review of the refusal by the Board of Bar Examiners to accept and consider his application for admission to The Florida Bar on the basis that his civil rights have not been restored.
Several similar questions have previously been propounded to this Court by The Florida Board of Bar Examiners. In response to the question as to whether the fact that an applicant has been deprived of his civil rights, in and of itself, bars that applicant from the practice of law in this State, this Court opined:
". . . where an applicant has been deprived of his civil rights upon conviction of a felony or infamous crime, but such civil rights shall have been subsequently restored by the granting of a full pardon by the Board of Pardons as authorized in Article IV, Section 12, of the Constitution, such prior conviction as shall have been pardoned will not bar such applicant from the practice of law in the State of Florida if he otherwise meets the qualifications for so doing. Provided, however, that any such conviction and loss of civil rights may be considered by the Board in the overall measurement of the general character of the applicant. The deprivation of civil rights for conviction of the offenses listed in Article VI, Section 5 of the Constitution of Florida, in the absence of a full pardon and restoration of civil rights by the Board of Pardons, would bar the applicant from the practice of law in the State of Florida except, unless and until such full pardon and restoration of civil rights shall have been granted." In re Florida Board of Bar Examiners, 183 So.2d 688, 690 (Fla.1966).
Subsequently in a letter by this Court dated November 25, 1970, directed to inquiry made by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners and questions posed thereby, this Court expressed the views that a conviction under a federal statute which provides that violation thereof shall constitute a felony so long as the federal violation is equivalent to a state felony does deprive an individual of his civil rights,, that in order to be eligible for admission to The Florida Bar, an applicant convicted of a federal offense constituting a felony equivalent to a felony under state law is required to have his civil rights restored by the Governor and three members of the Cabinet or by Presidential Pardon, and that an applicant convicted of a federal felony equivalent to a felony under state law need not obtain a Presidential Pardon to be eligible for admission to The Florida Bar if his civil rights are restored in Florida pursuant to Article IV, Section 8, Florida Constitution.
Article IV, Section 8(a), Florida Constitution, provides:
"Except in cases of treason and in cases where impeachment results in conviction, the governor may, by executive order filed with the secretary of state, suspend collection of fines and forfeitures, grant reprieves not exceeding sixty days and, with the approval of three members of the cabinet, grant full or conditional pardons, restore civil rights, commute punishment, and remit fines and forfeitures for offenses."
By mutual consent of the Governor and Cabinet, the Rules of Executive Clemency were adopted September 10, 1975. Section 9(A) of Rules of Executive Clemency of Florida, effective November 1, 1975, provides for the automatic restoration of civil rights, as follows:
"When a person receives final release from the Florida Parole and Probation Commission, Department of Offender Rehabilitation or county jail, his civil rights shall be automatically reinstated, except the right to possess or own a firearm shall be specifically withheld."
Section 4, Rules of Executive Clemency of Florida, provides:
"Where in the discretion of the Governor a case merits consideration for executive clemency for any reason, the Governor with the approval of three Cabinet members may bestow the following acts of grace:
"A. A FULL PARDON unconditionally releases from punishment, forgives guilt and entitles an applicant to all of the rights of citizenship enjoyed by him before his conviction. It freely and unconditionally absolves the offender from all legal consequences of the crime and conviction.
"B. A CONDITIONAL PARDON releases from punishment, forgives guilt of any applicant and entitles him to all of the rights of citizenship enjoyed before his conviction, only so long as the applicant fulfills certain conditions, precedent or subsequent, which are specified by the Governor with the approval of three Cabinet members. A violation or breach of the conditions may remove the conditional pardon and place the recipient in the status prior to receiving same.
"C. COMMUTATION OF SENTENCE changes the applicant's penalty to one less severe, but does not restore civil rights. Persons incarcerated, on parole or probation will not be considered for commutation of sentence unless a waiver is granted in accordance with Rule 13 or commutation is recommended by the secretary of the Department of Offender Rehabilitation.
"D. REMISSION OF FINES AND FORFEITURES suspends or removes fines or forfeitures.
"E. RESTORATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS restores to the applicant all or some of the rights of citizenship enjoyed before conviction in the State of Florida or restores all or some civil rights in this State for persons convicted under the laws of another state or government."
We now refer to the three questions proposed by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
1. Section 9A of the Rules promulgated by the Governor and Cabinet providing for automatic restoration of a convicted felon's civil rights on its face is sufficient to return full citizenship to the felon, but we feel constrained to comment that the constitutionality vel non of this Rule has not yet been presented to the Court as an alleged violation of Article IV, Section 8, Constitution of Florida.
2. A conditional pardon is not a full restoration of citizenship and is not sufficient to lift the objection to his admission to The Florida Bar.
3. In view of our answer to question two, we find it unnecessary to deal separately with question three.
It appears that the petitioner Kas-tenbaum was convicted in a federal court of violating Section 1951, Title 18, United States Code, which relates to interference with commerce by threats or violence. Accordingly, prior to consideration for readmission, it will be necessary for the petitioner Kastenbaum to obtain a full pardon or restoration of his civil rights either from the President of the United States or the Governor of Florida with three members of the Cabinet concurring.
It is so ordered.
OVERTON, C. J., and ROBERTS, ADKINS, BOYD, SUNDBERG and HATCH-ETT, JJ., concur.
ENGLAND, J., dissents with an opinion.