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Joseph P. Farina, Chief Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit and chair of the Judicial Management Council, followed by Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis, welcomed attendees to the Council’s June 1 meeting at the Florida Supreme Court.
In his welcome, the Chief Justice discussed ten areas where the courts have made strong, positive steps, beginning July 1, 2006. Among the ten, the Chief Justice highlighted criminal justice and mental health progress, cases involving complex litigation, efforts in the area of jury instructions (where business and contracts cases are involved), work on ADA compliance regarding court access, judicial evaluation, and the Justice Teaching initiative.
 Lisa Goodner, State Courts Administrator; Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Ninth Judicial Circuit; Chief Judge Carolyn Fulmer, Second District Court of Appeal; and Brenda Johnson, OSCA Director of Community and Intergovernmental Affairs discussed this year’s legislative efforts, following the Chief Justice’s remarks.
Throughout the day, attendees were updated on efforts by the Fairness and Diversity Committee (Circuit Judge Gill Freeman, Eleventh Judicial Circuit; and Debbie Howells, OSCA Executive Assistant), and a discussion and briefing on mental health and criminal justice (Associate Administrative Judge Steve Leifman, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Special Advisor to the Chief Justice on Criminal Justice and Mental Health).
The Judicial Management Council (replacing the former Judicial Council, which had existed in various forms since its creation in 1954) was established in 1995 in accordance with an amendment to rule 2.125, Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. It was assigned oversight of numerous policy initiatives that contributed to the enhancement of the administration of justice in Florida.The Council remained active through 2002. However, as the court system's efforts' moved toward implementation of Revision 7, the council lay dormant from 2002 through October, 2006, at which time Chief Justice Lewis called for its reformation by administrative order.
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By Beth C. Schwartz
"This in an amazing model, unique, unlike any other professional development experiment you’ll ever experience,” the listeners were promised. “Over the course of the next five days,” they were told, “you’ll learn about and will trace a real-life court case from its very infancy—from the trial court to the appellate court to the supreme court,” which will give you a chance “to immerse yourselves in a balance of clinical and academic experience.” Moreover, “You’ve been assigned a role—as a justice, chief justice, or attorney (petitioner or respondent)—and, after preparing for and participating in a mock oral argument about this case, you’ll watch the supreme court justices engage in the real oral argument about this very case,” they were informed.
 Contrary to expectation, however, the listeners—who heard these words from Chief Justice Lewis; Judge Kevin Emas, Eleventh Judicial Circuit; Judge Janet Ferris, Second Judicial Circuit; and Annette Boyd Pitts, executive director of the Florida Law Related Education Association—were neither new judges nor seasoned attorneys. In fact, they were 25 secondary school teachers from across the state who were selected to participate in this year’s Justice Teaching Institute, which took place at the supreme court on April 22-26. But, despite the daunting novelty of this experience, the teachers deftly took up the gauntlet and showed themselves ready for the challenges ahead.
Sponsored by the supreme court, the Justice Teaching Institute (JTI) was first established by former Chief Justice Kogan, who made it a feature of the court’s Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1997. Since then, the JTI has been an annual event, molded and fostered by Ms Pitts together with Chief Justice Lewis, who has actively participated in it since his 1998 appointment to the supreme court. A law-related education program, JTI brings to the court up to 25 secondary school teachers from across the state—who are chosen according to a competitive selection process—for an intensive, five-day program in which they learn deeply about  the justice system and witness it in action. The goal is to inspire them to convey what they have learned to their students and colleagues, and, in fact, the teachers are encouraged to use their new knowledge to develop a courts unit for their classes or to organize a local JTI for other instructors in their school or district.
Over the course of this year’s Sunday-to-Thursday program, teachers had an opportunity to be taught by and to interact informally with each of the seven justices, along with Ms Pitts, Judge Emas, Judge Ferris, and other members of the court system family. They also toured the building, piloted by the chief justice himself; learned about the structure and function of the state court system and about the criminal court process; delved into the importance of having an independent judiciary and separation of powers; became versed at accessing legal resources from library and Internet sources; studied alternative methods of dispute resolution; and engaged in a vigorous review of and conversation about the constitutional issues implicit in a real case before the court—all of which was geared toward preparing them to participate in a mock oral argument about this case and which culminated in their observation of the justices’ oral argument about the case. At the debriefing after the oral argument, the teachers’ excitement was palpable.
Undoubtedly, this is an experience from which everyone gains. The justices and judges clearly love the opportunity to teach and to connect with such keen and indefatigable “students.” And the teachers themselves conspicuously enjoy this chance to meet and work thoughtfully with kindred spirits, seeing it as a “refreshing and energizing experience.” But it is the absent ones—the students themselves—who will be the most important beneficiaries of this program, for, thanks to the thrilling labors of their teachers, these young people will have an opportunity to grasp something substantive about the history, functions, and significance of the judicial branch.
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In a late-morning press conference held in the Florida Supreme Court Rotunda on April 4, Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis appointed the Hon. Steve Leifman, an associate administrative judge from Miami, to serve as Special Advisor to the Chief Justice on Criminal Justice and Mental Health. The Chief was joined by Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Department of Children and Families Secretary Bob Butterworth, Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Walter McNeil, and Department of Corrections Chief of Staff Richard Prudon.
For more complete information, read the Florida Supreme Court press release.
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In a late afternoon ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on March 13, Governor Charlie Crist honored Justice Peggy Quince as one of two newest members to the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame. Governor Crist picked Justice Quince and Maryly VanLeer Peck, a noted chemical engineer and advocate for women in science, from among ten distinguished nominees given by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. Chair of the Commission, Kathleen Passidomo, said, “It is an honor for the Florida Commission on the Status Women to be involved in the recognition of women and their accomplishments—their impact on all citizens of Florida provides evidence of the critical role that women have played in shaping our state.”
Passidomo welcomed numerous dignitaries before turning the podium over to Governor Crist, who read each recipient’s vitae before making the individual presentations.
Justice Peggy A. Quince of Tallahassee is the first African-American female Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and only the third female Justice. She has the distinction of having been appointed jointly by then-Governor Lawton Chiles and Governor-Elect Jeb Bush. Prior to her appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, she was the first African-American female appointed to one of Florida's district courts of appeal with her appointment in 1993 to the Second District Court of Appeal. A graduate of Howard University-where she was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's Alpha Chapter-and Catholic University's law school, Justice Quince has served on the Florida Supreme Court since 1999. In all of her years as a lawyer and later a judge, Justice Quince has always had a special interest in serving and protecting all citizens especially minorities who are underserved. Peggy Quince was recognized as a pioneering woman in the law by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession with the 2006 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award.
Read Press Release(open as .rtf file or .pdf file) made available by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women
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The Domestic Violence Needs Assessment Group met at the Florida Supreme Court on February 23 to kick off a strategic planning effort within the Office of Court Improvement. In addition to several OSCA managers, participants included judges, circuit court administration staff, advocates and service providers, law enforcement and probation officers, representatives from the Department of  Children and Families and the Attorney General’s office, and the Institute for Family Violence Studies at FSU.
Impressive participant credentials and skills were noted during the opening introductions, as Rose Patterson, Office of Court Improvement Chief, welcomed participants to the day’s events. After a brief presentation outlining progress in Florida’s courts regarding domestic violence, group members spent the remainder of the day identifying and discussing the domestic violence-related issues currently present in the courts. Participants enthusiastically embraced this opportunity to express their concerns as well as to learn about the concerns of other group members, and indicated their eagerness to continue working with OCI on strategic planning for domestic violence.
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The Court Interpreter Certification Board, composed of circuit and county judges, trial court administrators, and federally-certified interpreters, held its organizational meeting on January 26 at the Florida Supreme Court. The board, chaired by Judge Cristina Pereyra-Shuminer, is the creation of the  Florida Supreme Court, which adopted a set of rules pursuant to specific statutory authorization from the 2006 Legislature. Read the Supreme Court opinion, SC06-1083 and the Administrative Order, AOSC06-56.
The meeting began with a charge from the Court’s liaison, Justice Charles Wells, who emphasized the importance of certification in guaranteeing quality foreign language interpretation for the court system. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to the discussion of issues relating to the  establishment of a certification and regulation system, including orientation workshops, written and oral examinations, and a proposed fee schedule.
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The 2007 Florida Judicial College Phase I training in Orlando, January 7-12, was marked by the largest group of new judges in the Florida court system history. Of the 110 total new judges who participated, 84 were elected and 26 were appointed. A majority of the elected judges are now filling newly created seats that result from the 2006 Florida Legislature’s response to the court’s judicial certification process, ensuring that an adequate number of judges provide fair and expedient justice to all Florida litigants.
Although required to take judicial education courses only since 1988, Florida judges have had the option to do so as early as the late 1970s. New judges in Florida face a two-phase training that is mandatory. The recently completed Phase I consisted of three components—an orientation, an entire week of trial skills workshops, and, finally, and perhaps most pressure-packed from the standpoint of the new judges, a 20-minute videotaped simulated trial proceeding. Completion of this training leads to Phase II training later in the spring.
Though Phase I training is really all about new judges, a second important component of the college training is the  faculty that is composed of 48 knowledgeable seated and 5 retired judges in the state. Judge Fred Lauten, 9th Circuit, serves as dean of the college, while Judge Mark Shames, 6th Circuit, and Judge Larry Klein, 4th DCA, act as associate deans. Judges Stan Blake, 11th Circuit; Kevin Emas, 11th Circuit; Mark King Leban, 11th Circuit; Stan Morris, 8th Circuit; and Mark Shames also serve as coordinators for the program.
Judge Lauten said, “From the faculty’s point of view, this is a great experience. The teaching is very rewarding because this is a receptive audience that wants to learn; they want to be excellent at what they do.” All of the participants have already excelled in the work that has brought them to this point in their lives, Lauten continued. “We know, as a faculty, that all of these people are good at what they do: we just need to be certain that a shift in gears occurs in the way they think. For example, many have served as attorneys who have represented clients with specific interests. Now, in their work as a judge, they will need to consider both petitioner and respondent positions, making a  judgment that is fair to both parties.”
The trial skills portion of Phase I training consumed a majority of the time new judges spent in their week of education. Here they learned about (among other topics) judicial philosophies, the art of judging (developing a judicial style), judicial immunity and liability, juvenile detention, fairness issues, search warrants and first appearances.
Though each of the topics discussed in the trial skills part of the training involved animated, in-depth faculty/student interaction, nothing compared with the videotaped sessions that each new judge was required to participate in. Members of the faculty role-played the prosecutor, public defender, bailiff, two-person jury, and witness in mock-court settings where new judges were invited to sit on the bench (hot seat!) for 20 minutes. In each setting, faculty members dramatized hypothetical courtroom situations to analyze how the judge would react. After each session, the new judge was interviewed to discuss his or her perception of the session. In turn, the faculty brought both pros and cons to the attention of the participant.
With Phase I completed, new judges ready themselves for Phase II in March. The latter training delves deeper into the topics cited above, concentrating heavily on substantive legal issues, as well as how judges interact with and relate to the media.
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(Top) Judge Fred Lauten, 9th Circuit, speaks to new Judges at first-day orientation session.
(Above Right) Mock-court faculty team, left-right: Judges Jeff Colbath, 15th Circuit; Amy Williams, 6th Circuit; Angela Cowden, Polk County; Orlando Prescott, 11th Circuit; Paul S. Bryan, 3rd Circuit;
Victoria Platzer, 11th Circuit.
(Above Left) New Judge, Kevin Blazs, poses a question regarding first court appearances.
(Bottom Left) Senior Judge James Case from Clearwater discusses trial skills with new judges.
(Bottom Middle) Judge Kevin Emas and Judge Ellen Leesfield from the 11th Circuit worked together
as part of a trial skills faculty team.
(Bottom Right) Former Chief Justice Major Harding asks his class to identify traits consistent
with someone being a good judge.
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Governor Charlie Crist is congratulated by Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp (far right), while outgoing Governor Jeb Bush and Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings look on (far left).
For more information on the ceremony, go to Florida Governor Charlie Crist. |
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Judicial Management Council Meets at the Supreme Court
Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis Announces Appointment of Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health 
Court Interpreter Certification Board 
Record Number of New Judges Attend Phase I Training 
