In a rare public response to criticism, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga is defending his decision to temporarily extend the service of former Justice James Perry.
Labarga was at a press conference in downtown Tallahassee to promote one of his pet causes, broadening access to the courts. When asked by a reporter, Labarga said it’s common to give a retiring justice extra time on the bench.
Not only was the appointment legal, Labarga said, but it gave Perry time to close out his caseload.
“In appellate courts, the records are huge. It takes time to familiarize yourself with the record. It takes time to read the memos. It may even require us to have another conference.”
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, one of the court’s most bitter critics, threatened to file a legal challenge to Perry’s temporary assignment.
Labarga said he cut short Perry’s extended service after Governor Rick Scott appointed conservative appellate Judge Alan Lawson to fill the vacancy.
