Florida

Florida judge cites crosswording juror in mistrial grant; ‘I didn’t know it was a bad thing,’ juror says

A Florida judge granted a defense motion for a mistrial in a murder case involving the Home Depot after a juror worked on crossword puzzles during testimony and deliberations.

Nov 26, 2024 8:45 AM CST

Slight rankings drop at University of Florida and its law school may have been factor in president’s exit

Former University of Florida President Ben Sasse cited his wife’s health when he resigned his position in July, only 17 months into the job that paid $10 million over five years.

Nov 25, 2024 9:46 AM CST

‘They Called Him Mostly Harmless’ documentary explores what drives true-crime junkies

While most true-crime documentaries focus on the actual misdeeds themselves, They Called Him Mostly Harmless, a 2024 documentary on Max, centers less on the death of a man ultimately identified as Vance Rodriguez and more on the internet sleuths interested in the case.

Nov 25, 2024 8:55 AM CST

Appeals judge told state attorney how to handle resentencing while badmouthing others, texts indicate

A Florida appeals judge who obtained a 2004 murder conviction of an alleged gang leader texted advice to the Miami-Dade, Florida, state attorney handling his resentencing while “denigrating defense attorneys and badmouthing local judges,” according to the Miami Herald.

Nov 12, 2024 11:34 AM CST

St. Thomas College of Law and fired professor reach settlement

The St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law and a professor at the school have “agreed to amicably part ways,” according to a statement from the Florida-based law school to the ABA Journal.

Nov 12, 2024 10:51 AM CST

Bar pass rates climb nationwide for July exam

Bar pass rates for the July 2024 bar exam are strong throughout the country. The expectations were high for the class of 2024. In 2021, the year that this class entered law school, applications increased by 13%.

Nov 12, 2024 10:14 AM CST

One of 2 prosecutors ousted by DeSantis wins election; how did other progressive prosecutors fare?

Voters have rejected several progressive prosecutors. Among high-profile races in Florida and California, the only liberal victor was Monique H. Worrell, who reclaimed her position as the Orange-Osceola state attorney in Florida after being ousted in 2023.

Nov 6, 2024 10:36 AM CST

Judge accused of ‘casual and illegal use’ of contempt power; crime victim cuffed

A Florida judge has been accused of conducting “improper or legally deficient” contempt proceedings in which she ordered the handcuffing of a crime victim and the jailing of the mother of traumatized, truant children.

Oct 23, 2024 10:45 AM CDT

Florida lawyer says she used trust account funds to avoid becoming homeless

An Orlando, Florida, lawyer accused of client trust account violations has said she used some settlement funds during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid becoming homeless when she lost her primary job as a schoolteacher.

Oct 17, 2024 1:58 PM CDT

Moms for Liberty wins constitutional challenge to school board’s comments policy

A federal appeals court has ruled for Moms for Liberty, a conservative parental rights group, in its challenge to a Florida school board policy that allows the presiding officer to interrupt meeting comments that are “personally directed,” “abusive” or “obscene.”

Oct 10, 2024 1:09 PM CDT

Florida judge accused of shouting in court, claiming his ‘angry face’ due to attorney’s behavior

A Florida judge is facing ethics allegations that he “behaved intemperately” in court and showed bias for or against certain parties and attorneys.

Oct 7, 2024 11:29 AM CDT

After Hurricane Helene, court deadlines extended, misconduct hotline activated

Hurricane Helene is having a continuing impact on the courts.

Oct 2, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

Melanie Kalmanson dedicates pro bono work to death penalty education

When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the death penalty case Hurst v. Florida in January 2016, it effectively changed the course of Melanie Kalmanson’s career. “That’s when my passion for these issues started, when I was seeing it in real life, living these cases, working on these cases, seeing how it affected Florida,” Kalmanson says. “The thing that really hit me was how little society knows about the reality of the death penalty.”

Oct 1, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

Judge reassigned after he orders defendant to wear condom and jokes ‘probation’s gonna check’

A Florida judge has been reassigned to civil court after he told a defendant to always wear a condom and repeated gay double entendres from a 1990s comedy show in a different case.

Sep 30, 2024 3:51 PM CDT

Murder trial delayed for slain law prof’s mother-in-law after her lead lawyer resigns

A Florida woman accused in the July 2014 murder of her son-in-law, a professor at the Florida State University College of Law, won’t be going to trial in Tallahassee, Florida, this week because of the resignation of her lead attorney.

Sep 18, 2024 1:21 PM CDT