In Florida, If you punch a judge, prosecutor, witness or pretty much anyone in the head (or anywhere else) during a criminal trial and you are found guilty – youโ€™ll get an increase in the charge against you. (So, if you have a third-degree felony charge and you attack the judge – youโ€™re now convicted of a second-degree felony, which carries a harsher sentence).ย 

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Right now โ€˜almost anyoneโ€™ doesnโ€™t include your own defense attorney. It happens more often than youโ€™d think. WCJB in Gainesville reported on another incident on December 21st.ย 

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A representative for Niceville in the State House and former judge Patt Maney wants to change the law to protect defense attorneys and public defenders from attack.ย 

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House Bill 71 would extend those protections and punishments in Florida courtrooms.ย ย 

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โ€œThis bill doesn’t change [the existing] law except to add [defense attorneys]. It adds in those who are most vulnerable, because they’re closest, physically, to the defendants and therefore, most likely to be potential victims,โ€ Representative Maney said.ย 

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By upgrading those sanctions against people who might attack their own defense attorney in the court – Representative Maney hopes to ensure equal justice under the law.ย 

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โ€œWell, I think it’s one of those bills, it’s not glamorous. And it’s not gonna get a lot of headlines. But for those instances where it will come into play, it’s gonna be quite important,โ€ Maney Added.

Other Focuses for the 2023 Session

Mental Health in Florida

For the third year in a row, Representative Maney will also attempt a complete overhaul of the Baker and Marchman acts. Previous bills would have updated the 50-year-old laws which govern how everyone from law enforcement, to medical professionals and social workers interact with and deal with mentally ill or drug-addicted persons in the legal system.ย 


Currently, a bill has not been filed on the record with the Florida House of Representatives, but the 2022 version of the bill is available for viewing here.

Military Service Personnelโ€™s Ability to Terminate Lease Agreements

In addition to HB 71, Representative Maney – a retired brigadier general in the US Army – filed House Bill 73, which would ease some of the burdens for service personnel to terminate lease agreements when they are given orders to permanently change station.ย 

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The proposed bill would allow protections for personnel who have to move before their lease runs out to enact the same provisions for military house that a private company owns.

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