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Posted December 9, 2010 |
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The 2009-10 Florida State Courts Annual Report is Online Now! Read the report! |
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Posted October 20, 2010 |
 Florida Courts Technology Commission
Meets for the First Time
As established by Florida Court rule 2.236 in July, 2010, the Florida Courts Technology Commission (FCTC) met for the first time at the Florida Supreme Court from October 19-20. Meetings of the full commission (25 members strong) will take place quarterly.
Under Florida Court Rule 2.236, all electronic initiatives will be approved by the Florida Courts Technology Commission and will not require an administrative order to be issued by the Supreme Court. (View approvals and the status of pending requests on the OSCA court technology website.) 
Judith Kreeger, 11th Circuit Judge and FCTC Chair, began the meeting by welcoming commission members and other court staff. Commission members introduced themselves and discussed special knowledge and experience that they each brought to the Commission. Later, the Commission discussed the Operational Procedures, as established by the Rule, and voted to have interim procedures in place. Further discussion on this issue will follow, as Judge Kreeger asked for finalized procedures to be brought to the Commission for a vote at their next in-person meeting.
Additionally, the Commission voted on the envelope data elements required for e-filing and the e-portal. Data elements include a person’s name, case numbers and other information as a way to substantiate filing with a Florida court.
 The two-day meeting of the Commission, being the first, provided direction for future committees and workgroups that will develop as a result of the Commission’s attempt to fulfill the charges laid out by the Rule.
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Posted September 10, 2010 |
 First Florida Innocence Commission Meeting Takes Place at the Supreme Court 
Chief Judge and Commission Chair, Belvin Perry, Jr. (9th Judicial Circuit Court) called the first Florida Innocence Commission meeting to order on September 10, 2010, at the Florida Supreme Court Building in Tallahassee. Chief Justice Charles T. Canady provided introductory remarks and welcomed the attendees and press in a packed meeting room.
Judge Perry followed the Chief Justice's remarks by introducing Lester A. Garringer, Jr. who was named the Commission's Executive Director by Canady on July 14. (Read the press release.)
Commission members proceeded to introduce themselves before tackling an aggressive agenda for the day, which involved:
 Approval of the Commission Mission Statement and Objectives- Discussion of Florida Cases Involving Wrongful or Erroneous Convictions
- Testimony of Individuals Who Had Been Exonerated
- Overview and Discussion of Factors Involved in Wrongful or Erroneous Convictions to include:
- Eyewitness Misidentification
- False Confessions
- Informants/Jailhouse Snitches
- Invalidated or Improper Forensic Science
- Professional Responsibility and Accountability
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The Commission concluded their first meeting by mid-afternoon.
For more information about the Florida Innocence Commission, go to the Florida Courts web site. |
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Posted July 14, 2010 |
 The Gavel is Passed to Charles T. Canady
Justice Charles T. Canady officially became Chief Justice Canady on Thursday, July 1, 2010. In an informal Passing-of-the-Gavel ceremony that took place June 30 in the Supreme Court Rotunda, Chief Justice Canady took the final step toward his two-year service, becoming the 54th Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Chief Justice Canady's wife and daughters attended the ceremony, along with fellow justices and Court staff.
Chief Justice Canady received his J.D. from the Yale Law School in 1979. He practiced law privately through 1984 when he began serving three terms with the Florida House of Representatives, only to be followed by four terms in the United States House of Representatives. Upon leaving Congress, he became general counsel to Governor Jeb Bush, and was appointed by Governor Bush to the Second District Court of Appeal in 2002.
On August 28, 2008, Justice Canady was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Charlie Crist and took office on September 8, 2008.
Go to the Florida Supreme Court web site to read Justice Canady's entire biography. |
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Posted June 25, 2010 |
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The Summer, 2010 issue of the Full Court Press is now online! |
Posted April 16, 2010 |
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The Spring, 2010 issue of the Full Court Press is now online! |
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Posted March 23, 2010 |
Trial Court Budget Commission,
Chief Judges, and Administrators
Meet as Legislative Session Continues
March 22 – 23, 2010
The Trial Court Budget Commission (TCBC) met on March 22 at the Florida Supreme Court to discuss legislative budget issues that the court system faces during the current legislative session. The Commission discussed the status of court operating budgets and trust funds, pay and benefits for judicial officers and court employees, and other court funding topics.
On March 23, on the wake of the Commission meeting, the Judicial Administration Committee met. Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Chair of the TCBC, provided a report on the court system’s legislative budget request and other updated budget information from the previous days’ meeting. 
 The Judicial Administration Committee also conferred about mortgage foreclosure cases. That discussion focused on the implementation status of Managed Mediation Programs, designed to ease the burden on the system of foreclosure cases, and a Foreclosure and Economic Recovery Funding Proposal, designed to eliminate the backlog of civil and foreclosure cases through the deployment of temporary resources in the trial courts.
Not only will the information from these meetings be beneficial in the management of the trial courts, but judicial leadership will also use the materials to inform their legislative delegations about court funding issues.
For More Information:
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Posted March 12, 2010 |
 Charles T. Canady Named Chief Justice-Elect of Florida
The Supreme Court of Florida unanimously named Charles T. Canady as Chief Justice-Elect on Wednesday, March 10. Justice Canady will serve for a two years as Chief Justice,
beginning July 1.
Justice Canady was appointed to the Supreme Court on August 28, 2008 by Governor Charlie Crist. He took office on September 8, 2008. He is married to Jennifer Houghton, and he is the father of two children.
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Posted February 11, 2010 |
 2008-09 Annual Report Chronicles Last Year's State Court System Activities
Although the 2008-09 Annual Report has been available for several months, other news events have precluded highlighting it until now.
If you have not taken the time to review the Report's contents, now is your opportunity. Begin by reading Chief Justice Peggy A. Quince's message and continue on with other pertinent court activity, including a two-page pictorial celebrating the "Farewells and Welcomes" of departing and new Supreme Court Justices.
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Posted January 11, 2010 |
Supreme Court Issues Administrative Order Regarding Foreclosures
In an attempt to address the avalanche of court cases resulting from the statewide foreclosure crisis, on December 29, 2009, Chief Justice Peggy A. Quince issued an Administrative Order requiring that each circuit implement a managed mediation program that will apply to all newly-filed Florida foreclosure cases involving homestead property. This order was based on recommendations by the Task Force on Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases.
As of November 2009, Florida ranked second-highest among states regarding property foreclosures. Foreclosures in this magnitude have created an economic crisis in our state, and they have also overburdened the state courts.
The Administrative Order mandates mediation in certain foreclosure cases, in an effort to encourage early settlement of cases and thus reduce the strain on courts. A prerequisite to mediation is that borrowers must attend foreclosure counseling prior to mediation so that they better understand and can expedite the mediation process when they participate.
For more in-depth information about the Administrative Order, the Task Force’s Final Report, and the managed mediation process, go to the Supreme Court’s Public Information page. |
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