Baker Act

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Baker Act

Where it comes from

The legislation was nicknamed the “Baker Act” after Florida Democratic state representative from Miami, Maxine Baker, who served from 1963 to 1972. She had a strong interest in mental health issues, served as chair of the House Committee on Mental Health, and was the sponsor of the bill.

verb Baker Acts · Baker Acting · Baker Acted

US, intransitive, transitive To invoke the Baker Act, i.e., the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual in the state of Florida, or (by extension) elsewhere in the United States. Court records show he was previously ruled not competent for prosecution, Baker Acted 33 times and released back onto the street. The Baker Acts include the child molestation and prior indecent exposure arrests.

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MLA

"Baker Act." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/baker%20act. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Baker Act. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/baker%20act

Chicago

"Baker Act." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/baker%20act.

BibTeX

@misc{baker_act_2026,
  title = {Baker Act},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/baker%20act},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}