USA - Florida. The Florida Supreme Court reversed the death sentence of Jerry Wickham

The Florida Supreme Court reversed the death sentence of Jerry Wickham ordering a new evidentiary hearing that must be sent outside the 2nd Judicial Circuit to avoid any appearance of judicial bias. Wickham was convicted of robbing and murdering Morris "Rick" Fleming in March 1986. Wickham raised numerous ineffective assistance claims against his trial attorney, Philip Padovano, who went on to become a judge in the 2nd Circuit, where his wife is also a judge. Wickham claimed Padovano, now an Appellate Judge on the 1st District court of Appeal, could bias all the judges in the 2nd Circuit. The high court agreed. "Wickham's motion demonstrated a well-founded fear of judicial bias ... and should have been granted," the court wrote.