Browse recent court opinions from the Florida Supreme Court. AI-powered plain English summaries, key holdings, and legal analysis of 30 cases. State Supreme Court.
Florida court upholds conviction, admitting prior 'bad acts' evidence
James Ernest Hitchcock v. State of Florida, decided by Florida Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The appellant, James Ernest Hitchcock, challenged his conviction fo...
Judicial immunity shields judge from civil suit over alleged due process violations
Armando Arce v. Chief Judge Timothy D. Osterhaus, decided by Florida Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Armando Arce, sued the Chief Judge of the Flor...
Florida Supreme Court Approves Amendments to Substance Use Terminology Rules
In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating the Florida Bar - Substance Use Terminology, decided by Florida Supreme Court on April 16, 2026, resulted in a other outcome. The Florida Supreme Court addressed ...
Florida Supreme Court Affirms Dismissal of Plaintiff's Constitutional Claims
Joseph Zieler v. State of Florida, decided by Florida Supreme Court on April 16, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Joseph Zieler, sued the State of Florida for alleged violatio...
Appellate Court Upholds Vehicle Search and Convictions
Chadwick Willacy v. State of Florida & Chadwick Willacy v. State of Florida, decided by Florida Supreme Court on April 15, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. This case consolidates two appeals...
Florida Supreme Court Approves Amendments to Appellate Rules
In Re: Amendments to Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, decided by Florida Supreme Court on April 9, 2026, resulted in a other outcome. The Florida Supreme Court considered proposed amendments to t...
Florida Supreme Court Amends Rules for Appealing Lawyer Advertising Decisions
This case involves amendments to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.710, which governs the procedures for appealing decisions made by the Florida Bar's Board of Governors concerning lawyer advertis...
Florida Judge Suspended 30 Days, Fined $5,000 for Inappropriate Comments to Attorney and Lack of Cooperation with Investigation
This case involves an inquiry by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) into Judge Woody Robert Clermont. The JQC found that Judge Clermont engaged in misconduct by making inappropriate ...
Florida Supreme Court Affirms Murder Conviction but Vacates Death Sentence for Michael L. King, Remanding for New Penalty Phase
This case involves Michael L. King, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. The Florida Supreme Court reviewed his conviction and sentence. King raised several issues on appea...
Florida Supreme Court Amends Appellate Rule to Allow Immediate Appeals of Judge Disqualification Denials After Guilty or No Contest Plea
This case involves an amendment to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.140, which governs appeals in criminal cases. The Florida Supreme Court adopted an amendment to subdivision (b)(2)(A) of the ru...
Florida Supreme Court Upholds Murder Conviction but Vacates Death Sentence for Michael H. Hunt, Citing Jury Instruction Errors in Penalty Phase
This case involves Michael H. Hunt, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. The Florida Supreme Court reviewed his appeal, which raised several issues including the denial of ...
Florida Court Upholds Denial of Inmate's Postconviction Relief and Dismissal of Mandamus Petition for Procedural Failures
This case involves Raymond Bright, who filed two separate appeals related to his legal challenges against the State of Florida and the Department of Corrections. In the first case, Bright appealed the...
Florida Appeals Court Upholds Aggravated Assault Conviction
This case involves Billy Leon Kearse appealing his conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Kearse argued that the trial court made several errors, including improperly admitting eviden...
Court Rules on Wrongful Termination Claim Against Department of Corrections
This case involves a dispute over whether Leo Louis Kaczmar, III, was wrongfully terminated from his position as a correctional officer. Kaczmar sued the Secretary of the Department of Corrections, al...
Conviction Reversed Due to Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Regarding Plea Offer
This case involves two related appeals by Melvin Trotter, who was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted sexual battery. Trotter argued that his trial attorney provided ine...
Florida Supreme Court Approves Some, Rejects Other Proposed Amendments to Attorney Admission Rules
This case concerns proposed amendments to the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar, specifically Chapter 3, which deals with the admission of attorneys. The Florida Supreme Court reviewed these proposed c...
Conviction for Aggravated Assault Reversed Due to Improper Jury Instructions; Firearm Conviction Upheld
This case involves two appeals by Ronald Palmer Heath, who was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In the first appeal, Heath argued ...
Florida Supreme Court Amends Rule Governing Rehearing Briefs
The Florida Supreme Court considered a proposed amendment to Rule 9.200 of the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. This rule governs the content and format of rehearing briefs, which are filed after...
Florida Supreme Court Amends Rules on Service of Process and Pleadings
The Florida Supreme Court has amended three rules of civil procedure and one form related to service of process and pleadings. These changes are intended to clarify and streamline the procedures for n...
Florida Supreme Court Amends Rules Governing Document Production and Depositions
The Florida Supreme Court considered proposed changes to two rules of civil procedure: Rule 1.350 concerning the production of documents and things, and Rule 1.370 regarding the use of depositions. Th...
Florida Supreme Court Amends Rules Governing Attorneys and Bar Admissions
The Florida Supreme Court considered proposed amendments to the rules governing the Florida Bar and the process for admission to the bar. These amendments were put forth by the Bar itself. The Court r...
Conviction upheld, but claim of ineffective counsel regarding mental defect defense sent back for review
This case involves two related appeals by James Terry Colley, Jr. concerning his conviction and sentence for aggravated child abuse. In the first appeal, Colley argued that the trial court erred by no...
Court Compels Arbitration in Personal Injury Case
This case involves a dispute between Ashley Nicole Isabel Brito and Angel Giovanni Rivera (the plaintiffs) against Jennifer Salas (the defendant). The plaintiffs are seeking damages related to alleged...
Evidence from cell phone search admissible under inevitable discovery doctrine
State of Florida v. Bryan Allen Repple, decided by Florida Supreme Court on December 30, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The State of Florida appealed the trial court's suppression of evide...
Confession deemed involuntary, conviction reversed
Michael James Jackson v. State of Florida, decided by Florida Supreme Court on December 19, 2025, resulted in a reversed outcome. The core dispute centered on whether the defendant's confession was vo...
Florida Supreme Court Approves Rule 2.140 Amendment on Trust Notices
In Re: Amendment to Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.140, decided by Florida Supreme Court on December 18, 2025, resulted in a other outcome. The Florida Supreme Court ad...
Florida Supreme Court Approves Statewide Electronic Filing Rules
In Re: Amendments to Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration, decided by Florida Supreme Court on December 18, 2025, resulted in a other outcome. The Florida Supreme Court addres...