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Robert
Craig Waters, Director of Public Information
(850) 414-7641
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Amendments to Rules Regulating
The Florida Bar
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | The Florida Bar petitions the Court to make changes in the rules governing the legal profession. | Statewide impact |
| Matthew Marshall v. State
of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 9:40 | Marshall was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the November 1988 murder of fellow inmate Jeffrey Henry in Martin Correctional Institute. His sentence was affirmed on appeal. He now challenges its validity. | Martin County |
| Orange County v. Costco
Wholesale Corp.
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:30 | Costco and other liquor vendors filed suit challenging an Orange County zoning ordinance prohibiting any vendor from opening a new store within 5,000 feet of an existing liquor store. Orange County contended that the separation requirement was meant to disperse liquor stores rather than let them become concentrated in "combat zones." The trial court upheld the ordinance, but the Fifth District Court reversed on appeal, finding that the only plausible purpose underlying the ordinance was to create zones in which established stores would have a virtual monopoly. | Orange County |
| Ronald Lee Bell, Jr.
v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 11:10 | Bell and others were charged with the February 1999 murder of Cordell S. Richards. He was tried and convicted, and the jury recommended the death penalty 12-to-0. The trial judge agreed. This is Bell's direct appeal. | Okaloosa County |
Florida Supreme Court Oral
Arguments
Tuesday, January 8, 2002
Arrive early. Times &
order of appearance are tentative and subject to change with no notice.
Cases may be postponed due to exigent circumstances.
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| John C. Marquard v. State
of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | Marquard was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the June 1991 murder of Stacey Willets. His sentence was affirmed on appeal. He now challenges it validity. | St. John's County |
| Joseph Cephas v. Mark
J. Letzter, M.D.
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 9:40 | Cephas was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990, and a doctor later discovered he had a gangrenous toe. The doctor allegedly failed to amputate the toe, resulting in infection and the partial loss of a foot. A second doctor allegedly neglected to follow up with necessary medical care after surgey, resulting in the loss of the leg below the knee. Both physicians were found partially at fault by a jury, which awarded Cephas $1.8 million. This case involves how that fault should be apportioned. | Palm Beach County |
| Louis B. Gaskin v. State
of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:30 | Gaskins was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the December 1989 murders of Robert and Georgette Sturmfels. His sentences were affirmed on appeal. He now challenges their validity. | Volusia County |
| Harry Franklin Phillips
v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 11:30 | Phillips was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the August 1982 murder of Bjorn Thomas Svenson near the Parole & Probation Building in Miami. His sentence was affirmed on appeal. He now challenges it validity. | Dade County |
Florida Supreme Court Oral
Arguments
Wednesday, January 9,
2002
Arrive early. Times &
order of appearance are tentative and subject to change with no notice.
Cases may be postponed due to exigent circumstances.
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Allen Ward Cox v. State
of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | Cox was charged with the December 1998 murder of fellow inmate Thomas M. Baker, Jr., in Lake Correctional Institute. A jury found him guilty and recommended the death penalty 10-to-2. The trial judge imposed it. This is his direct appeal. | Lake County |
| Loretta Reed v. State
of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:00 | Reed was accused of several charges related to child abuse. She was convicted following a jury instruction that failed to inform the jury about a disputed element of the crime. The judge sentenced her to 107 and ½ months in prison. On appeal, the State conceded error, but the First District rejected this concession and affirmed. | Columbia County |
| Richard Bryant Weddell
v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:40 | Weddell was tried and convicted of dealing in stolen property taken from Eastern Shipbuilders, Inc. The judge sentenced him as a habitual felony offender to 25 years in prison. On appeal, the First District affirmed Weddell's conviction but also ruled that a standard jury instruction was not legally correct. Weddell now challenges the validity of his conviction, while the State challenges the ruling on the jury instruction. | Bay County |
Florida Supreme Court Oral
Arguments
Tuesday, January 15,
2002
Arrive early. Times &
order of appearance are tentative and subject to change with no notice.
Cases may be postponed due to exigent circumstances.
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Amos Lee King, Jr. v.
State of Florida
SC68,631 and SC02-1 and SC02-2 View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | King was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the March 18, 1977, murder of Natalie Brady. His sentence was affirmed on appeal. The Governor has now issued a death warrant for King, to be executed at 6 p.m., January 24, 2002. | Pinellas County |
Florida Supreme Court Oral
Arguments
Tuesday, January 29,
2002
Arrive early. Times &
order of appearance are tentative and subject to change with no notice.
Cases may be postponed due to exigent circumstances.
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Larry Bottoson v. State
of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | Bottoson was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the December 29, 1979, murder of Catherine Willie Alexander. His sentence was affirmed on appeal. The Governor has now issued a death warrant for Bottoson, to be executed at 6 p.m. February 5, 2002. | Orange County |