11/1/13
From Attorney General Pam Bondi
attorney.general@myfloridalegal.com
Hello Ms. Chambers,
The Florida Attorney General’s Office received your correspondence regarding the handling of your son’s criminal case in the Second Judicial Circuit Court. Attorney General Pam Bondi asked that I respond to you.
We understand how important this is to you, and appreciate you sharing your concerns with our office. With regard to your son’s criminal case, please refer to the response we sent to you in February 2013 (enclosed below) for information about the Attorney General’s role in criminal cases.
(See attached file: Chambers, Carissa.pdf)
As part of the executive branch of government, the Attorney General cannot supersede or circumvent the actions of the judicial branch. The Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) is the independent agency created by the Florida Constitution to review certain kinds of complaints involving judicial conduct. To file a complaint against a judge, please contact JQC for more information:
Judicial Qualifications Commission
1110 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32303-6224
Telephone: 850-488-1581
Websites: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/pub_info/jqc.shtml#Information
http://www.floridajqc.com/
Since you are concerned about conflicts of interest or ethics involving various public officials, you should contact the Governor’s Office and the Commission on Ethics. Contact information is:
The Honorable Rick Scott
Executive Office of the Governor
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001
Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 717-9337
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 717-9418
Website: http://www.flgov.com/
Florida Commission on Ethics
Post Office Drawer 15709
Tallahassee, Florida 32317-5709
Telephone: (850) 488-7864
Website: http://www.ethics.state.fl.us/
Additionally, if you wish to seek consideration of an outside investigation, Florida law gives the Governor the authority to assign state attorneys from one jurisdiction to prosecute crimes in another jurisdiction. This authority is appropriate in unusual situations, typically when the state attorney informs the Governor there is a conflict of interest within the office, and he or she cannot be impartial. This authority, however, is not designed to allow the Governor to review or second-guess the actions of the state attorney.
Finally, since the have concerns about the outcome of your son’s case, you should consider consulting a private attorney. If you need help finding a Florida attorney, The Florida Bar offers a Lawyer Referral Service which you may contact toll-free in the U.S. at (800) 342-8060 or online at:
http://www.floridabar.org/divpgm/lronline.nsf/wreferral6?OpenForm
Please understand the Attorney General’s duties are prescribed by law. Thank you for contacting Attorney General Bondi’s Office.
Sincerely,
Jason Lawrence
Office of Citizen Services
Florida Attorney General’s Office
PL-01, The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1050
Telephone: (850) 414-3990
Toll-free within Florida: (866) 966-7226
Website: http://www.myfloridalegal.com
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL. THIS ADDRESS IS FOR PROCESSING ONLY.
To contact this office please visit the Attorney General’s website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com and complete the on-line contact form. Again, thank you for contacting the Office of the Florida Attorney General.
Mothers Against Unethical Laws (MAUL) 