In a decision with major ramifications for police accountability across the state, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the identities of police officers who use deadly force can’t be shrouded in secret under Marsy’s Law.
The conservative high court, in a 6-0 decision issued Thursday, opined that Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018 that granted a number of rights to crime victims, does not guarantee anonymity for police officers — or any victim of crime.
“Marsy’s Law guarantees to no victim — police officer or otherwise — the categorical right to withhold his or her name from disclosure,” the court opined. “No such right is enumerated in the text of article I, section 16(b) of the Florida Constitution.”
The ruling marked a major victory for First Amendment advocates, who argued that police officers — imbued by the government with the power to arrest and use lethal force — aren’t entitled to confidentiality for their on-duty conduct.