Laurence v. State
Twelve criminal defendants sought writs of prohibition to disqualify a Monroe County judge whose spouse became Executive Director (a non-attorney supervisory administrative post) of the State Attorney's Office prosecuting their cases. The Third DCA held the disqualification motions were legally insufficient because the spouse's role was purely administrative, did not involve supervising prosecutors, and there were no allegations she assisted in any specific prosecution.
Key facts
- Twelve criminal defendants in Monroe County sought writs of prohibition to disqualify a judge whose spouse served as Executive Director (a non-attorney administrative position) of the State Attorney's Office prosecuting their cases.
- The trial court denied the defendants' motions to disqualify the judge based on the spouse's employment at the prosecuting office.
- +1 more key fact with a free trial
Why it matters
This opinion fills a gap in Florida law—acknowledged by the court itself to be sparse—on when a judge must be disqualified because a spouse or relative holds a position within the prosecuting state attorney's office. It… — full analysis with a trial
🔒 Read the full opinion, holding & search the library
The full opinion PDF, the rules the court applied, our significance analysis, the background facts, and full-text search across every tracked Florida decision are available to members. Start a free 30-day trial — no credit card.
Not ready to sign up? Get the free Friday digest — the week's key Florida decisions by email, no login required.
Florida Court Tracker provides summaries of publicly available court opinions for informational and research purposes only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. Always verify holdings against the official opinion.