Opinion ID: 1844186
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: authority of trial judge to preside over penalty phase

Text: Parker's next issue on appeal involves the authority of Judge Geiger to preside over his penalty phase. Parker argues that the administrative order entered by former Chief Justice Harding appointing Judge Geiger is void because Chief Judge Kanarek requested the appointment of Judge Geiger after Judge Kanarek had recused himself from Parker's case. Parker also argues that Judge Kanarek erred in polling the judges of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit to ascertain whether any other judge would be able to sit on Parker's case after he had granted the motion to disqualify. At the time of Parker's penalty phase, Judge Kanarek was the Chief Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit and was specially assigned to Parker's case by former Chief Justice Harding. When Judge Kanarek recused himself from Parker's case, he lacked the authority to make additional rulings on Parker's case. See § 38.10, Fla. Stat. (2003) (stating that whenever a party files a legally sufficient motion to disqualify the judge shall proceed no further). However, as chief judge, Judge Kanarek had a separate and distinct role as the administrative head of the circuit and, thus, an administrative duty to ascertain whether another judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit could hear the case and to report this fact to the Chief Justice. See art. V, § 2(d), Fla. Const. (The chief judge shall be responsible for the administrative supervision of the circuit courts and county courts in his circuit.); Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.050(b)(4) (If a judge is ... disqualified in an action ... the chief judge or the chief judge's designee may assign a proceeding pending before the judge to any other judge or any additional assigned judge of the same court....). When Judge Kanarek polled the other judges of his circuit he was not acting as the judge presiding over Parker's case, but rather in his administrative capacity as the chief judge of the circuit. Further, the actions taken by Judge Kanarek after his recusal were purely ministerial in nature and resulted in no substantive rulings on Parker's case. Cf. Fischer v. Knuck, 497 So.2d 240, 243 (Fla.1986) (stating that a judge has the authority to perform the ministerial act of reducing a prior ruling to writing subsequent to the filing of a motion to disqualify). Thus, we reject Parker's assertion that Judge Kanarek's actions were improper and that Judge Geiger did not have the authority to preside over Parker's penalty phase.