Court Opinion

ID: 9576122
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:21:07.386859+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:59:06.484640
License: Public Domain

COYNE, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. Although I have no doubt that a successor judge has the authority to reconsider an order issued by a judge who subsequently resigned or retired from the bench, it seems to me that the original order is entitled the same deference that the majority extends to the order of the successor judge. To put it another way, I believe that judicial courtesy, as well as sound judicial administration, requires the successor judge to reconsider the order of the predecessor judge by reviewing the order according to an abuse of discretion standard. Here, it appears that the successor judge simply ignored Judge Farrell’s order and decided the matter de novo. The reason for discarding the original order while reviewing the order of the successor judge under an abuse of discretion standard escapes me. I would reverse and reinstate Judge Farrell’s order of December 30,1993.