The Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court has signed an administrative order creating a state Innocence Commission. The Court announcement is here.
On July 2, 2010, Chief Justice Charles T. Canady issued an Administrative Order establishing an Innocence Commission and naming members to it.
Additional documents will be posted here as they become available.
The Ledger has posted, "Justice Canady Signs Order Creating Fla. Innocence Commission."
The 23-member Innocence Commission will "study the causes of wrongful conviction and subsequent incarceration," according to the order. It will examine ways to prevent such convictions.
The commission won't review cases until it has already been determined that defendants were wrongfully convicted.
Canady, who is from Lakeland, took the action Thursday on just his second day as chief justice.
A news release from the court credited former Chief Justice Peggy A. Quince with making the commission possible, citing her work in obtaining $200,000 from the Legislature to fund the work.
It also credited help from incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos and work by the Florida Bar Foundation.
Canady named Quince as the Supreme Court liaison to the commission. It will be chaired by Chief Judge Belvin Perry of the Ninth Judicial Circuit based in Orlando.
The AP report is, "New Fla. chief justice creates innocence panel," via the Miami Herald.
Chief Justice Charles Canady's order on Friday comes a day after beginning his two-year term overseeing the state's highest court.
A group of lawyers last year asked the justices to create the panel to determine why at least 11 people have been wrongfully convicted in recent years.
Canady's predecessor, Justice Peggy Quince, obtained a $200,000 appropriation from the Legislature for the panel that will study issues related to wrongful convictions as well as the administration of the death penalty.
The Florida Bar Foundation also has approved a $114,862 grant for the commission.
Earlier coverage of the Florida Innocence Commission proposal begins here.
Today's Miami Herald also contains a brief AP item, "Fla. justices OK some lethal injection challenges."
A sharply divided Florida Supreme Court has agreed to let state lawyers for death row inmates challenge lethal injection in federal courts.
The 4-3 ruling Thursday reversed a prior high court ruling that prohibited what are known as capital collateral regional counsels from filing federal civil rights suits to contest the constitutionality of Florida's execution method.In the same opinion, though, the justices unanimously rejected Dolan Darling's constitutional attack on lethal injection and upheld his death sentence.
The Florida Supreme Court ruling in Dolan Darling a/k/a Sean Smith v. State of Florida, is available in Adobe .pdf format. Related posts are in the lethal injection index.
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