Peggy Quince

Peggy A. Quince
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida
In office
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2010
Preceded byR. Fred Lewis
Succeeded byCharles T. Canady
Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida
In office
January 5, 1999 – January 8, 2019
Preceded byBen F. Overton
Succeeded byCarlos G. Muñiz
Personal details
Born (1948-01-03) January 3, 1948 (age 76)[1]
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.[1]
WebsiteOfficial Site

Peggy Ann Quince (born January 3, 1948)[2] is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, having previously served as chief justice from July 1, 2008, until June 30, 2010.[3] Quince was the second African American and third woman to serve as chief justice.[4] She had been a justice of the Court since 1999, and was the first African-American woman to sit on the state's highest Court and the third female Justice. From 1993 to 1997, she served as a judge on Florida's Second District Court of Appeal.[4] On July 1, 2008, Quince assumed the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida for two years, the first African-American woman to head any branch of Florida government.[5]

Biography

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Quince was raised by her father, Solomon Quince, a civilian employee of the United States Navy, in Chesapeake, Virginia.[4] The second of five children, she had to attend segregated schools, but she excelled as a student.[4] Quince attended Howard University as an undergraduate, and received her Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in 1975. Justice Quince is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.[6] From 1980 to 1993, she worked in the Criminal Division of the Florida Attorney General's office, the last five years as bureau chief for death penalty appeals.[4]

Appointment

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Quince is the only Supreme Court Justice in Florida history to be appointed simultaneously by more than one Governor. Because her term began the exact moment that Governor-elect Jeb Bush assumed his office, in order to avoid potential future controversy over her appointment, Bush worked out a joint agreement with lame duck Governor Lawton Chiles whereby they both agreed upon and jointly announced Quince's appointment in December 1998. When Chiles died of a heart attack a few days later, the task of signing Quince's commission to office fell to Chiles' temporary successor, Governor Buddy MacKay. Thus, three Governors were involved in Quince's appointment.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Florida Supreme Court Justice Profile of Peggy A. Quince". Supreme Court of Florida. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  2. ^ The Florida Handbook. 2005. ISBN 9780976584605. Retrieved Feb 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Chronology of the Chief Justices of Florida" (PDF). The Office of Public Information, State of Florida. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Jan Pudlow, "Peggy Ann Quince, Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court", The Florida Bar Journal, Vol, 82, No. 9 (October 2008), p. 11–20.
  5. ^ Ash, Jim (2008-03-15). "Quince to be Florida's first African-American female chief justice". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2008-03-19. [dead link]
  6. ^ Quince Elected Chief Justice of Florida Supreme Court Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
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