An attorney is asking the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether judges appear biased when their Facebook friends include lawyers they see in court.

The Third District Court of Appeal ruled last week that a Facebook friendship between a Miami-Dade judge and a lawyer in one of her cases isn't enough to warrant recusal. Because the decision clashed with a previous Fourth District opinion, North Miami lawyer Reuven Herssein is asking the court to certify a conflict for state justices to decide.

Herssein filed the underlying motion for disqualification after discovering Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko was Facebook “friends” with another lawyer in the case, Israel Reyes.

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