Winter 2023 Historical Review 

• From the President
• Under the Dome: Chief’s Message
• The Supreme Court of Florida's New Building in 1948
  
• What's in the Cornerstone?
• Making History in Oral Arguments and Proceedings Before The Supreme Court of Florida 

• Ask The Archivist: Elevator Trouble and the First Case

• The Guastavino Dome: The Florida Supreme Court Building’s Crown Jewel

• It All Started With a Leaky Roof

• Old House Moves to a New Home at FSU

• 'A Supreme Evening 2024'

• Restoring the Colorful History of the Florida Supreme Court

• 'A Supreme Evening 2023' Recap

• Investiture of Justice Renatha Francis as the 92nd Justice

• Getting to Know Justice Meredith Sasso

• Justice Ricky Polston Departs the Court

• Historical Society Director Honored for Service to the Legal Profession

• Federal Court Named for Judge Hatchett

• Ceremonial Chief Justice Office Celebrates the Supreme Court and its Justices

Our "Amici Curiae" Appeal for Your Support

We invite you to become an “Amicus Curiae” by joining a unique organization – the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society while paying your Florida Bar annual fees.

Why should you become a friend of the Court? Your membership in the Historical Society allows you a unique opportunity to learn more about the Court and its rich history. Equally important, your tax-deductible membership contribution helps expand public awareness and understanding of the Florida Supreme Court and its role in our system of government.

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A Supreme Evening 2025 - Photo Gallery

With more than 470 attendees, the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society saw a near-capacity crowd and a record-breaking level of sponsorships for our signature event, A Supreme Evening, on Jan. 16. Justices, lawyers, judges, public officials, and faculty from Florida State University gathered at the FSU Dunlap Champions Club in Tallahassee to support the Historical Society while enjoying a reception, dinner, and an impressive line-up of speakers and guests.

50th Anniversary Celebration Event of Justice Arthur J. England, Jr.

Justice Arthur J. England, Jr. was welcomed the Florida's Highest Court by then Gov. Reubin Askew in January of 1975

MDC's Wolfson Campus/Chapman Conference Center

   Thursday, September 18, 2025  

The Florida Supreme Court Historical Society is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Arthur J. England, Jr.’s becoming a Supreme Court Justice and Florida’s first Jewish Justice. Join us for a lively tribute conversation featuring an esteemed panel of his friends and colleagues, hosted by Chief Justice Carlos Muniz.

Join the Florida Supreme Court Justices, your friends and colleagues for an hour of CLE or CJE and to learn more about his legal legacy on September 18, 2025, at the MDC’s Chapman Conference Center in downtown Miami.

Justice England helped restore the Court’s integrity after several scandals and resignations. He pioneered the nation’s first program to utilize the bank interest earned on lawyer trust accounts to finance legal services for low-income individuals. He also helped open Florida’s courtrooms to camera coverage, making it the first state in the nation to do so, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of his judicial legacy and accomplishments.

ON LINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED  - LIMITED ON SITE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE

Justice Arthur J. England, Jr. 50th Anniversary Celebration Event

Society's Exe. Director Receives Marshall Cassedy Service Award From Florida Bar President

Mark A. Miller, Executive Director of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society in Tallahassee, received the 2023 Marshall R, Cassedy, Sr. Award for exemplary service and extraordinary support of the legal profession from Florida Bar President Gary Lesser during the Bar’s annual convention.

The award honors and recognizes the legacy and attributes of Cassedy, who served as Executive Director of The Florida Bar from 1961-1980.

President Lesser said that Miller’s more than 35 years in association management have contributed to the Historical Society’s many accomplishments over the past decade.

“He’s put both hands on the steering wheel and led the Historical Society’s mission to make sure people understand the importance of a strong judiciary and saving for future generations the records and events that shaped the evolution of Florida’s courts,” Lesser said.

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Colorful History of The Florida Supreme Court Being Restored

An essential part of the colorful history of the Florida Supreme Court is being restored thanks to advances in digitizing and correcting color photographs and the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society.

In keeping with the historical society’s mission to celebrate, honor, and preserve the rich history of the Florida Supreme Court and its Justices, a project to begin restoration of the publicly displayed color en banc photos of our Court was initiated in early 2022. The first 10 are now completed.

The Gallery

The public display of the Gallery of the Supreme Court with en banc photographs of Florida’s Supreme Court Justices, which document the members of the Court from 1949 to the present, was initiated and made possible with a gift from Justice Ben F. and Marilyn Overton.

The South hallway outside the courtroom has been the gallery’s location since the Overtons initiated the idea before he retired from the Court in 1999.

Read More Here