A new face will join the Florida Supreme Court soon. On Monday, Florida Supreme Court Justice James Perry announced he would resign from his position in the state’s highest court, victim of mandatory retirement. His retirement opens up a spot for a new, more conservative justice.
Perry, one of the two African-Americans on the Supreme Court, often sides with the more liberal judges in rulings.
His term originally began in 2009 when Gov. Charlie Crist appointed him to the position to replace retiring justice Charles Wells.
The Florida Constitution’s mandatory age restriction limits justices’ terms, forcing them to retire when they turn 70 years old, though they are allowed to finish up a six-year term if they have served three of those years by the time they are 70. Perry is 72.
His retirement was inevitable as his term expires at the end of this year.
"After over 16 years of proudly serving the citizens of the state of Florida, first as a circuit judge and currently as a justice of the Florida Supreme Court, I am constitutionally mandated to retire at the end of my current term," Perry wrote in a letter to Gov. Rick Scott.
In the letter, Perry called the legal system “flawed,” but said he was still grateful to be a part of it.
“I am proud to be one of its humble servants,” he wrote.
With Perry’s vacancy comes a new opportunity for the governor to make his first ever appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, and the power to shift the balance to a more conservative angle.
Scott will make the decision after the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission forwards him candidates from which to choose.
The nine-member commission chooses three to six “highly qualified” applicants and sends the list to the governor, who makes the final selection from the list.
The current roster for the JNC includes Miami lawyer Israel Reyes, former executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Jesse Panuccio and insurance lobbyist Fred Karlinsky.
Governmental affairs lawyer Jason Unger was recently elected to serve as Chair of the JNC, while policy advocate Nilda Pedrosa serves as Vice Chair.
Three other Supreme Court justices -- R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince will all be forced to retire in 2019, giving Florida’s next governor a good hold of the reins on the most powerful court in the state.
The appointment will be made by Jan. 2.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
