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A man, some say saved the Florida Supreme Court, was memorialized in Tallahassee. Former Chief Justice Ben Overton was lying in repose in the rotunda of the Supreme Court at noon today. Justice Overton died December 29th. He was 86. Former President of the American Bar Association and longtime friend Sandy D’Alemberte says Overton was appointed to the court during a very tumultuous time.

“He stepped on the court at a time when it was in great distress and in my judgment he’s the justice who saved the court,” said D’Alemberte.

The court had been caught up in scandals and politics in the early 70s. Overton was the first justice appointed under the current Merit Retention system. The system was set up to keep politics out of the judicial process. There were attempts to overthrow the system in November, but they failed. Overton served on the court from 1974 to 1999.