Scandal and Reform in the Florida JudiciaryIn the 1970s, justices on the Florida Supreme Court were popularly elected. But a number of scandals threatened to topple the court until public outrage led to profound reforms and fundamental changes in the way justices were seated.
One justice abruptly retired after being filmed on a high-roller junket to Las Vegas.
Two others tried to fix cases in lower courts on behalf of campaign supporters.
A fourth destroyed evidence by shredding his copy of a document into "seventeen equal" strips of paper that he then flushed down a toilet.
As the journalist who wrote most of the stories that exposed these events, Martin Dyckman played a key role in revealing the corruption, favoritism, and cronyism then rampant in the court.
A Most Disorderly Court recounts this dark period in Florida politics, when stunning revelations regularly came to light. He also traces the reform efforts that ultimately led to a constitutional amendment providing for the appointment of all Florida's appellate judges, and emphasizes the absolute importance of confidential sources for journalists.
Source:
Borders.com
Note: This book is also available through other retail outlets, including Amazon.com
5 comments:
The Florida Courts still desperately need more reform. Some Circuit Court Judges often use their "rubber stamp" approving accounting for the "wards of the state." This behavior allows the vulnerable seniors in the "Sunshine State" to be exploited by; court appointed guardians, professional guardians, caretaakers, fiduciaries, attorneys and even judges. It's possible to go to the "Sunshine State" to retire and become "A Prisioner."
Has the situation in Florida improved? If my experience (see http://home.roadrunner.com/~tvfields/dir.htm) is any indication, then the answer must be NO. To fix the problem in our courts, we need numerous other reforms, including court reporting reforms like that which is described online at http://home.roadrunner.com/~tvfields/CrtRptSysReform.htm. Such reforms would provide greater openess, without which NO ONE can objectively determine the extent of the frauds being perpetrated within the legal system ...
RIGHT tvfields -- the situation hasn't improved. In fact, it's really gotten worse.
I am glad to see a book about it though. The more public attention, the better.
Elderly people going to FL are taking their lived in their hands.
The State of Florida should work hard to correct its image and clean up its court system. Really, they have an opportunity to pave the way to reform.
Was it last year that there were public hearings about the Florida court system? The intent, we were told, was to improve the image of the courts. What a joke.
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