Attorneys weigh in on effort to rewrite Florida’s speedy trial rule
The Florida Supreme Court is once again contemplating changing the state’s rule that guarantees all citizens a right to a speedy trial. But, already, not all justices appear on board with revisiting the matter.
“I think this is a solution looking for a problem,” said Justice Jorge Labarga within the first 15 minutes of Wednesday’s hour-and-a-half of oral arguments on the issue.
Labarga echoed defense attorneys, but said he was drawing upon his previous experience as a prosecutor, when the rule was even more favorable to defendants than it is today by discharging them without giving the state a chance to bring the case after the speedy trial window closed.