WSHC+B partners John Quick and Edward Guedes have played a significant role in a landmark Florida Supreme Court decision, advocating for enhanced transparency in law enforcement. John and Ed represented the City of Miami Civilian Investigative Panel on an amicus brief in support of the prevailing side, the City of Tallahassee. The ruling specifically addresses the application of the constitutional amendment known as “Marsy’s Law” in relation to police officers, determining in this specific instance that officers cannot invoke the constitutional amendment to demand that their identities be concealed from public scrutiny. In this case, several news organizations had requested the identity of the officers involved in the shootings of the suspects, and the officers sued to enjoin disclosure.
This ruling will have a statewide impact on the disclosure of information related to police-involved shootings and potentially other police-community interactions. By setting this precedent, the Court has substantially advanced the discourse on public access to information and the balance of individual rights within the justice system.
John is both a local government attorney and a litigator. In his role as counsel for municipal clients, John handles land use and zoning matters, statutory and code interpretation issues, ethics concerns, taxation and budget matters, special assessments, police and fire issues, disability accommodations, public development and historic preservation.
Ed is Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar and is chair of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. He has litigated dozens of appeals before the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s district courts of appeal and the U.S. Courts of Appeals in a wide variety of matters, including medical malpractice, premises liability, probate, First Amendment and constitutional litigation, family law, state and federal administrative rule-making and regulation, home rule authority and preemption, election law, civil rights, land use and zoning, intellectual property and labor and employment issues.
