New chief justice for the Florida Supreme Court

Florida's Supreme Court has recently sworn in its 52nd Chief Justice, R. Fred Lewis. He is a graduate of the University of Miami law school and was a member of the Miami Law Review, so noted in his biography and on discourse.net. The "gavel" ceremony took place on June 30, 2006. The Florida Chief Justice serves a two-year term. For a look at how other states appoint or elect their judges, see:

• Judicial Selection Methods in the States (American Judicature Society)
• Judicial Selection and Retention FAQs (National Center for State Courts)
• Fact sheet on judicial retention in the states, .pdf, (American Bar Association)

New Florida law: freeze credit reports

A new state law allows Floridians to freeze their credit reports, keeping them from prying eyes. Florida joins over twenty other states that have similar laws. A Sun-Sentinel article notes that pending Federal law may override the state laws in the near future. The Florida law is Chapter 2006-124 (House bill No. 37), and will be codified at section 501.005 in the Florida Statutes. The law takes effect on July 1, 2006.

See articles:

"Law could reduce threat of ID theft," Miami Herald, July 1, 2006

"Credit freeze offers Floridians even greater levels of protection," Palm Beach Post, July 1, 2006

"Beginning Saturday in Florida, you can place a freeze on your report," Sun-Sentinel, June 29, 2006