Laurence v. State
Twelve criminal defendants in Monroe County sought to disqualify a trial judge whose spouse was employed as Executive Director (a non-attorney administrative supervisory role) of the same State Attorney's Office prosecuting their cases. The Third DCA held the motions to disqualify were legally insufficient because the spouse's position was purely administrative, did not involve supervision of assistant state attorneys, and there was no allegation the spouse participated in or assisted with any prosecution before the judge.
Key facts
- Twelve criminal defendants in Monroe County filed motions to disqualify a trial judge whose spouse worked as Executive Director (a non-attorney administrative role) of the State Attorney's Office prosecuting their cases.
- The defendants argued the spouse's employment in the prosecuting office created an objectively reasonable fear of bias requiring the judge's disqualification.
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Why it matters
This opinion fills a gap in Florida case law on when a judge's family member's employment at a prosecuting or defense agency requires disqualification, establishing that non-supervisory administrative roles do not… — full analysis with a trial
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