(1888PressRelease)
February 16, 2009 - The firm is pleased to announce that retired Judge, John R. Blue, was honored with the 2009 Chief Justice’s Distinguished Judicial Service Award. This prestigious award is given annually by the Chief Justice to the one judge - or former judge - in Florida who has given the most outstanding service in the area of pro bono legal assistance. The Florida Supreme Court held a special ceremony for the pro bono service awards on Thursday, January 29, 2009 in the Supreme Court building in Tallahassee.
Throughout his career, Blue has devoted thousands of hours to helping those who otherwise would not have access to the judicial system. He was appointed to the bench for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in 1986, and elected to office in 1989. He served until 1992 when he was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeals. During his years on the bench, Blue devoted substantial time to civic and community service organizations.
Upon leaving the bench in 2003 and returning to the practice of law, Blue resumed representing those who otherwise could not afford legal services. For the past three years, he has devoted hundreds of hours to pro bono representation seeking to obtain compensation for Alan Crotzer, a 45 year old man who was wrongfully incarcerated for over 24 years for the charge of kidnapping and rape. Mr. Crotzer served 24 years, 6 months, and 13 days of a 130-year sentence for a crime that he did not commit. On January 23, 2006, he was released after being exonerated by DNA evidence. Since his release, Mr. Crotzer, with the assistance of Blue and a team of Carlton Fields attorneys, has fought to convince the Florida Legislature not only to provide just compensation to help him rebuild his life, but also to implement a fair and balanced system to compensate anyone who has lost part of their lives to wrongful incarceration.
The claims bill for Mr. Crotzer awarding him compensation passed in the Florida House 116 to 0 on April 1, 2008 and was sent to the Florida Senate. On April 3, 2008, the legislation compensating Mr. Crotzer for his 24+ years of wrongful incarceration passed the Legislature and was immediately certified to the Governor. The bill's passage is the culmination for three years' work, which Blue took on as a pro bono matter. The bill compensates Mr. Crotzer in the amount on $1.25 million, the equivalent of $50,000 for each year he was wrongfully incarcerated, and waives community college tuition on his behalf up to 120 hours. Governor Charlie Crist signed the bill into effect on April 10, 2008.
John Blue continues to provide pro bono representation to Alan Crotzer, including providing advice on protecting his compensation from the State. He also provides assistance and mentoring to other Carlton Fields attorneys who handle pro bono appeals. Throughout his 40 year career, John has given back to the community through pro bono representations and civic activities. He teaches younger lawyers through his example. He has influenced many lives – those of the indigent people he has represented over the years and those of the members of the legal profession who have had the honor to work with him. He continues to do so with his work with the Florida Innocence Initiative, which ultimately could affect untold numbers of potentially innocent people sitting in Florida prisons, and with the young attorneys he mentors.
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