Opinion ID: 1090109
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Judicial Assignment

Text: Franqui's next argument asserts that he was denied due process of law when the same trial judge presided over his two death cases. The trial court dismissed this claim without an evidentiary hearing. As explained in the order denying relief, The facts are not in dispute. [Franqui] was charged in four separate cases (including two separate first-degree murder cases), all of which were pending at the same time. By administrative order, the first case was assigned (randomly) to a felony trial division. So long as that case remained open and pending (i.e., not resolved by plea, trial, or dismissal), all subsequently-filed cases involving that same defendant were assigned to the same trial division. As a result of this administrative procedure, all of [Franqui's] cases were assigned to a single judge. [Franqui] argues this procedure is inherently unfair. The lower court concluded that this claim was procedurally barred since, under prevailing Florida law, Franqui should have raised this claim prior to trial. In addition, the trial court held that a judge is not subject to disqualification in a case simply because that judge has made adverse rulings against the defendant in the past or because the judge has previously heard some of the facts of the case. Franqui did not allege ineffective assistance of counsel for failure to insist upon a different judge in the instant case; rather, Franqui claimed that his due process rights were violated by reason of the administrative procedures invoked in this case. [11] The lower court correctly concluded that this claim is procedurally barred because it was not properly asserted before trial. Further, Wild v. Dozier, 672 So.2d 16 (Fla.1996), establishes that this Court has exclusive jurisdiction to review administrative orders making judicial assignments. Id. at 17 ([W]e conclude that this Court has exclusive jurisdiction to review judicial assignments.). Franqui also claims that his due process rights were violated because the same judge sentenced him to death in both of Franqui's murder cases. This argument, however, is refuted by the record. While the same judge did initially sentence Franqui to death in the Hialeah case and the instant case, ultimately Franqui's death sentence for this crime was reversed by this Court. See Franqui I, 699 So.2d at 1333. A different trial judge subsequently presided over Franqui's resentencing and issued the death sentence that was later affirmed on direct appeal. See Franqui II, 804 So.2d at 1189. Thus, the same judge did not issue the two death sentences now pending.