Governor Charlie Crist is going to have the opportunity to completely reshape the face of the state’s Supreme Court by the end of next year. Of the seven justices currently serving, two have announced their pending resignation and two more are about to reach manditory retirement age.
The St. Petersburg Times reports…
This week, asked to define the qualities he’ll be seeking, Crist said: “No. 1, honest and ethical. Fair-minded, compassionate. People of great integrity, obviously, that are sharp and clearly care about people and are public service-oriented.”
Like his predecessors, Crist conducts one-on-one interviews for all vacancies on the appellate and Supreme courts. The process suggests Crist is looking for people with whom he can strike a personal chemistry, if not philosophical agreement.
After all, a truly independent judiciary is one that is bound not to always see things Crist’s way. That’s the point.
In selecting justices, Crist is limited to the pool of nominees, usually three for each vacancy, given to him by a nine-member Judicial Nominating Commission. In 2001, at Bush’s urging, the Legislature gave the governor more authority over who serves on the commission, at the expense of the Florida Bar.
Just last week, Crist appointed three people to the nominating panel: Coral Gables trial lawyer Kathy Ezell, Tampa lawyer Martin Garcia and Tampa business executive Kathleen Shanahan, a member of the Board of Education, transition-team adviser to Crist and former chief of staff to Bush. Crist lauded Shanahan as someone who “understands the value of separation of powers between the three branches of government.”
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