Opinion ID: 4560708
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Supreme Court JNC Had a Diverse Slate of

Text: Constitutionally Eligible Candidates From Which to Choose Thompson’s requested remedy—requiring the Governor to appoint a candidate from the original list of applicants—is motivated by a “widelyrecognized interest in diversity on the judiciary.” Pet. at 4. While I agree with the majority that there is no legal basis for granting this remedy, I write to underscore the missed opportunity to enhance the diversity of this Court and to do so in a manner that adheres to the Florida Constitution. The original pool of applicants to the Supreme Court JNC included a generous slate of diverse applicants who were constitutionally eligible to fill the Lagoa and Luck vacancies. In particular, the list of applicants included six constitutionally eligible African-American or CaribbeanAmerican applicants. Each of these six applicants is an experienced attorney who, at the time of application, had no fewer than twenty-one years of Florida Bar membership. In fact, the most experienced of the six was a member of the Florida Bar for thirty-six years at the time of application. Instead, the Supreme Court JNC nominated the only African-American or Caribbean-American applicant who was constitutionally ineligible to fill either vacancy. - 19 - POLSTON, J., concurring in result only. Representative Thompson filed a petition seeking a writ of quo warranto and a writ of mandamus. At the heart of the petition for both writs is her specifically requested relief seeking to compel the JNC to certify a new list of nominees (with strong consideration of the other African-American applicants who had originally applied) and to compel the Governor to appoint an individual from that new list. Because this relief cannot be granted and her petition does not include a request for any other relief that the Court deems appropriate in its discretion, the petition must be denied. Moreover, the petition for a writ for quo warranto must be denied because the Governor has not yet issued a commission for Judge Francis, the official act of appointment. Although the Governor does not have the authority to appoint someone ineligible, he has not yet done so by announcing Judge Francis as his selection. Although Representative Thompson could have filed a mandamus petition to require the Governor to immediately appoint someone else from the existing certified list, because he is outside the constitutionally mandated time period to do so, she chose to not do so. We cannot make this case into something it is not by providing a remedy not requested. Accordingly, I concur in result only to deny this petition. - 20 -