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Florida Supreme Court ruling limits Belvin Perry's term as chief judge
Feb 14, 2012 (The Orlando Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A new Florida Supreme Court ruling means long-serving Chief Judge Belvin Perry cannot be chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit beyond June 30, 2013.
The ruling caps chief judge terms across the state at eight years. But it allows sitting chief judges who have served more than eight years in those roles to complete their unexpired terms.
Perry can go on being a circuit judge; he just cannot continue to be the circuit's lead judicial administrator beyond next June, under the ruling.
On Monday, Perry said he was "totally shocked," "bewildered" and "personally hurt" by the high court's ruling.
He questions the Supreme Court's rationale, which was not spelled out in the ruling. Perry also expressed concern about the choice of locally elected judges, who select the circuit chiefs, being stripped and limited.
"The judges in every circuit who are at some point in their tenures elected by the voters are in a better position to say who is competent to serve as chief judge and how long they serve," Perry said. "What it [the Supreme Court order] does is take away that voice."
Perry and other chief judges did not know this ruling was coming down before it did late last week. It was not part of changes recommended to the court. And there was no hearing, prior to the ruling, on the chief judge term limits.
The order most directly affects Perry and several other long-serving chief judges across the state.
"I think it will cause the uninformed to think those four individuals must have done something," he said. "There was absolutely no recommendation for this, none."
Perry, who recently announced plans to run again for his judicial seat in November, has served as the chief judge for Orange and Osceola between 1995 and 1999 and then 2001 to the present. His current term as chief judge ends June 30, 2013.
Clearly troubled by the ruling, Perry said he gave "my heart and soul to this court system," but also said "no one is irreplaceable."
His departure as chief judge means that the circuit's 65 judges, including Perry, will have to elect a new chief judge about a year from now in either January or February 2013.
In dissenting with the majority opinion in part, Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady wrote, "Although term limits for chief judges might be the right policy, this Court should not adopt such a policy without first receiving input from the trial courts and the district courts."
___ (c)2012 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) Visit The Orlando Sentinel
(Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information
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