Long-Range Issue #3

Improve Understanding of the Judicial Process

The judicial branch’s legal authority is a grant by the people, and public trust and confidence in the judicial branch is at the heart of maintaining a democratic society.  Promoting public trust and confidence in the courts enhances the effectiveness of court actions, strengthens judicial impartiality, and improves the ability of courts to fulfill their mission.  Improved communication, collaboration, and education efforts will better inform the public about the judicial branch’s role, mission, and vision.

People who have some understanding of the American justice system tend to have a greater respect, trust, and support for the courts, studies have found.  To deepen people’s knowledge of the justice system, Florida’s courts continue working to meet the goals of the branch-wide communication plan, which provides a framework for coordinating and organizing communication activities, and to provide a bounty of education and outreach events and activities, which offer people opportunities to learn about the roles, functions, responsibilities, and accomplishments of their judicial branch.  In striving to establish diverse lines of communication with their various audiences and to develop learning initiatives for “students” of all ages, Florida’s courts aim to deliver timely, consistent, useful, and inspiring information both to its internal audiences—judges and court personnel—and to its external audiences—the public, court users, branch partners and stakeholders, government entities, the media, and education, business, and civic organizations.

Long-Range Issue #3 Topics:

• Branch-Wide Court Communication Plan
• Education and Outreach Initiatives

Branch-Wide Court Communication Plan

In 2015, while the Judicial Management Council was revising the branch’s long-range plan, members simultaneously pondered strategies for advancing the communication-related goals that the plan was about to announce.  Hewed in response to feedback from judges, court public information officers, other court staff, and experts from the private sector, the branch-wide communication plan, Delivering Our Message: Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida 2016, is designed to help the courts enhance relationships with justice system partners, strengthen public understanding of and support for the branch, speak clearly and purposefully about the branch, support open lines of communication both internally and externally, and communicate effectively using coordinated, strategic efforts.

When implementation of the communication plan began in January 2016, then Chief Justice Jorge Labarga charged the branch’s designated public information officers (PIOs) with putting the plan into effect in their respective courts, promoting methods and activities that best respond to local needs and resources.  Representing the 20 judicial circuits, the five district courts of appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator, the court PIOs are members of a statewide nonprofit professional association, the Florida Court Public Information Officers (FCPIO), organized in 2007 “to advance the ongoing dialogue among courts, media, and the public.”  To foster the communications goals outlined in the plan, the PIOs hold monthly Zoom meetings; most years, they also meet in person for an education program to consider, among other timely topics, ideas for implementing the plan.  During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, PIOs were especially focused on enhancing their courts’ social media presence—particularly after the pandemic began to pervade Florida and more traditional means of communicating were upended.

Long before COVID-19, Florida’s court PIOs understood and began availing themselves of the extraordinary popularity of social media—communication channels that 72 percent of Americans now use regularly to connect with one another, access news content, ferret out or share information, and entertain themselves (Pew Research Center).  Florida courts are in good company: the National Center for State Courts, which has been tracking the growth of social media use in state courts, notes that as more and more Americans rely on social media as their primary source of news and information, many courts have responded with their own social media presence (all but 12 state courts and one US territory have at least one social media account; Twitter is the most popular, used by 33 states).  And the National Center firmly encourages courts to embrace social media, stressing that, “Public discourse today happens on social media.  Failing to include social media in the court’s communication strategy can only widen the gap between what the public expects and what the court delivers.” 

Twitter is used by 93 percent of Florida’s courts and the Office of the State Courts Administrator; 48 percent of Florida’s courts and the Office of the State Courts Administrator use Facebook; and some Florida courts also utilize YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and podcasts​. 

Since the 2016 release of the branch-wide communication plan, Florida courts at all levels have implemented social media policies and developed their own social media accounts, which they use for communicating information about services provided, for pushing case-related postings and high-profile case information, for increasing public trust and confidence in the judiciary by improving understanding of the judicial process, and for communicating during crisis situations.  Florida’s courts widely use Twitter, or at least have a Twitter account to use in an emergency, such as an unexpected court closure (93 percent of the courts use Twitter accounts: 18 trial courts, all five district courts, the supreme court, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator).  Next in popularity is Facebook (48 percent of the courts—nine trial courts, two district courts, and the supreme court and OSCA—have Facebook accounts).  The courts also make limited use of YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and podcasts.  These accounts proved their value during several major hurricane events over the last few years and gave court PIOs critical experience in using social media specifically for crisis communications.  So when the global pandemic struck, because they already had a variety of active social media platforms in place, the PIOs were well-positioned to communicate quickly and efficiently both with internal and external audiences.  (Link to the branch’s social media accounts by court.)

During the coronavirus pandemic, social media have proven to be the single most important component of crisis communications for many Florida courts.  In addition to using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to communicate with internal and external audiences, the Ninth Circuit has produced numerous podcasts to provide helpful information to justice partners, court users, and the public.  

Mr. Craig Waters, director of the Florida Supreme Court Public Information Office, observed, “In the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, social media like Twitter and Facebook proved to be the single most important component of crisis communications for many courts”—a finding based on research by a rapid response team for communications established by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, spring 2020, and confirmed in a summer 2020 nationwide survey of court judges and staff conducted by the same entity.  The survey results established that, when the pandemic hit, crisis messaging was managed far more effectively by courts that had previously approved social media accounts run by trained, experienced staff.  “Social media fit in well with the new regime of ‘social distancing’ suddenly thrust upon courts by public health guidelines,” Mr. Waters explained, adding, “The most commonly used social media platforms cited in survey results were Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube—all of them in use in Florida long before the pandemic.”  And he noted that “The Florida State Courts’ approach to the crisis under their 2016 Communications Plan has become a national model because of its early and carefully planned use of social media even before the first COVID-19 cases were reported.”

Education and Outreach

Because of the pandemic, students participated virtually in the 2020 Florida State University College of Law Moot Court Final Four Competition before the justices of the Florida Supreme Court.

The judicial branch develops an abundance of resources and opportunities for Floridians to learn about their courts.  Every circuit and appellate court in the state has created programs and activities that inform the public about the courts system—initiatives such as courthouse tours, citizen guides, school outreach programs, teen courts, Law Day and Constitution Day activities, moot court competitions, Take Your Child to Work Days, juror appreciation events, “meet your judge” and “inside the court” types of programs, adoption events, speakers bureaus, citizen advisory committees, and media outreach efforts.  Even during the pandemic, many courts have found ways to continue these programs, albeit remotely.  Through these initiatives, the judicial branch seeks to educate people from all walks of life about their courts system, to encourage vibrant court-community relationships, to enhance people’s trust and confidence in their justice system, and to help foster a more engaged, informed, responsible citizenry generally.

The Short History of Florida State Courts System Processes, Programs, and Initiatives was designed to deepen public understanding of the third branch, and it includes a chronicle of endeavors to strengthen trust and confidence in Florida’s courts.  The Education and Outreach tab on the Florida Courts website offers a host of resources for boosting viewers’ knowledge of Florida’s courts system.  And the Florida Supreme Court’s About the Court tab provides information about supreme court justices, supreme court history, Florida law, Florida courts structure, the supreme court seal, the portrait gallery, art in the court, the architecture of the building, and the various supreme court departments.  In addition, nearly all the state courts in Florida (and the Office of the State Courts Administrator) utilize various social media platforms—including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, podcasts, LinkedIn, and videos—to inform audiences both external and internal about the work of the courts.  Described below are some of the other ways the branch strives to provide Floridians with positive, meaningful interactions with their courts.

Judicial Campaign Conduct Forums

Instituted in 1998, Judicial Campaign Conduct Forums are generally offered in the spring of election years for circuits in which a contested judicial election will be taking place.  These 90-minute forums focus on the need for integrity and professionalism among candidates for judicial office, the impact of campaign conduct on public trust and confidence in the justice system, and the serious consequences of violating Canon 7 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which governs political conduct by judges and judicial candidates.  The forums are organized by the supreme court and The Florida Bar Board of Governors, in conjunction with the trial court chief judges and the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee.  All judicial candidates seeking contested seats or facing active opposition for merit retention are encouraged to attend.  The forums are also open to campaign managers and their staff, local political party chairs, presidents of local bar associations, the media, and the public.  The 2020 forums, which took place in early May, were offered exclusively by remote access on video conference webinars.  (To learn more about the standards of ethical behavior governing judicial candidates, see An Aid to Understanding Canon 7, prepared by the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee.)    

Annual Reporters Workshop

Recognizing the importance of playing a proactive role in heightening reporters’ understanding of the courts system, the supreme court has hosted an Annual Reporters Workshop since 1989.  Presented by The Florida Bar Media and Communications Law Committee and subsidized by The Florida Bar Foundation, these two-day events are designed to teach the basics of legal reporting to reporters who are new to the legal/courts beat, providing them with a helpful introduction to covering justice system issues.  The sessions—conducted by jurists, attorneys, professors, and veteran reporters—vary each year, but they generally focus on matters like effective techniques for reporting high-profile cases, merit retention in Florida, public records and how to obtain the ones you need, libel law and defamation, lawyer regulation, and journalism in the world of social media.  Due to the pandemic, the 2020 workshop was cancelled.

Florida Supreme Court Teacher Institute

Initially conceived in response to a national study documenting the public’s lack of, and need for, court-related information, the Florida Supreme Court Teacher Institute (formerly known as the Justice Teaching Institute) was first offered in 1997, when then Chief Justice Gerald Kogan launched it as part of the Florida Supreme Court’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.  Since then, each year, from 20 to 25 secondary school teachers from across the state are selected to participate in this comprehensive, five-day education initiative on the fundamentals of the judicial branch.  Funded by The Florida Bar, the program is coordinated and hosted by the supreme court.

The institute introduces the teachers to the structure and functions of the state courts system, the state versus the federal courts systems, the criminal court process, the Florida constitution, the case study method, legal research skills, and the constitutional issues underlying a case that is about to be argued before the court.  The highlight of the program is the teachers’ own mock oral argument on the very case for which the justices themselves are preparing.  The Court Teacher Institute is one of the judicial branch’s most successful strategies for supporting teachers’ efforts to introduce their students to the vital role courts play in our society.  Due to the pandemic, the 2020 institute was cancelled.

Visiting the Supreme Court: Oral Arguments, Education Tours, and Education Programs

The Florida Supreme Court held several dry-run tests in April 2020 to prepare for its history-making transition to virtual oral arguments on May 6, 2020.  The session pictured here includes the five sitting justices and clerk staff and is one of several practice sessions involving justices, court staff, attorneys, and the court's broadcast partner, all of whom worked together to prepare for a seamless transition from in-person to remote technology proceedings.

Visitors to the state capital have a variety of options for learning about the history and functions of Florida’s highest court.  One of the most engaging ways to learn about the inner workings of the supreme court is to attend an oral argument—a “conversation” between the justices and attorneys, during which the attorneys clarify the legal reasons for their position and respond to questions posed by the justices.  Held August through June, oral arguments are typically scheduled during the first full week of each month and are open to the public.  Although oral arguments have been held remotely since May, they can be viewed in real time on Facebook Live (an option that has been available since February 2018).  Viewers can also watch archived arguments online, via WFSU’s Gavel to Gavel (the archives go back to 1997).  Information about high-profile supreme court cases, both current and archived, is also available online.  

Visitors can also tour the public areas of the Florida Supreme Court Building.  Groups of 10 or more adults who are interested in a guided tour experience can schedule a 45-minute Educational Program/Building Tour and learn interesting details about the supreme court building and the personalities who have given life to the court over the years; the tour includes the rotunda, courtroom, lawyer’s lounge, library, and rare book room.  Smaller groups, or those who prefer to furnish themselves with informational brochures and set off at their own pace, can take a self-guided tour.  Even those who are not likely to venture to Tallahassee—or who would prefer to “visit” the court from the comfort of their homes—can take a brief, online Self-Guided Tour of the Supreme Court of Florida.

Ms Emilie Rietow, the supreme court’s education and information administrator, introduces supreme court’s virtual visitors to the Florida Supreme Court Seal, officially adopted in 1950 and set into the floor immediately beneath the court rotunda.  Here, Ms Rietow is explaining the official motto, the Latin phrase Sat Cito Si Recte, meaning "Soon enough if done rightly," which emphasizes the importance of taking the time necessary to achieve true justice.

Student groups are also encouraged to visit the supreme court.  Teachers can schedule their classes for the Educational Program, a 45-minute curriculum that includes a building tour and a teaching component (students learn about the branch, Florida’s courts system, and some supreme court history).  Or student groups can be scheduled for a Mock Oral Argument Program, a 90-minute activity conducted by a staff attorney or knowledgeable volunteer that culminates in the enactment—in the courtroom of the supreme court—of an oral argument using a hypothetical case.  Especially during the 60-day legislative session, from all across the state, teachers bring their students to the supreme court to learn about the third branch of government.

Even though the Florida Supreme Court has been closed to visitors since March 2020, school groups, civic organizations, and leadership groups have been able to take virtual tours of the building.  During the 45-60-minute tour, viewers learn about Florida’s judicial branch, the different levels of courts in Florida, and how the supreme court operates.  The tour also introduces participants to the public areas of the building—including the courtroom, the lawyer’s lounge, the rotunda, the library, and the rare book room; often, a justice is available to join the tour virtually and answer questions.

The Florida Supreme Court has been closed to visitors since March 2020, but school groups, civic organizations, and leadership groups have been able to take virtual tours of the building.  In addition to learning about Florida’s judicial branch, the different levels of courts in Florida, and how the supreme court operates, viewers are introduced to the public areas of the building.  Here, Ms Emilie Rietow, the supreme court’s education and information administrator, shows visitors the portrait gallery. 

According to Ms Emilie Rietow, the supreme court’s education and information administrator, these Zoom tours have some unanticipated perks: they seem to lead to higher levels of engagement than in-person tours, she observed, for participants seem more comfortable with the process, ask more questions, and exhibit more interest and animation.  She also noted that shy people and people with disabilities or learning disabilities are particularly “at home” taking the virtual tours; they especially appreciate the chat feature because they can “ask” their questions unselfconsciously and at their own pace.  Another benefit of virtual tours is that they can reach multiple classrooms at once—and up to 300 people can be present on a given tour.  Finally, virtual tours enable everyone to visit the court, even those who are never likely to find themselves in Tallahassee.  For these reasons, the supreme court is considering continuing the virtual tour program even after it becomes safe to open the building to visitors again.  (This link goes to additional information about tours and education programs at the supreme court.)  

Judicial Learning Center

In 2020, Chief Justice Charles Canady approved the creation of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Learning Center (JLC)—an innovative learning environment that will provide an interactive educational experience designed to engage and inspire visitors of every age, with a special focus on virtual learning and outreach.  Virtual visitors and those who come to the court building will learn about the state’s judicial branch and its critical role in the lives of Florida’s citizens. 

To boost awareness of mediation and to celebrate the peaceful resolution of conflicts, for the last 24 years, the Florida Dispute Resolution Center has partnered with area schools to provide interactive training to students who are studying peer mediation in school.  In 2020, Mediation Week was celebrated virtually with a tour of the supreme court building, an education program, and, for the older students, a mediation training.

Once the fallout of the pandemic subsides, the learning center, as envisioned, will include interactive, hands-on exhibits and will develop infographics, videoclips, and other learning tools for use in schools and in adult and professional education.  Exhibits, programs, and tours will address many statewide standards in social studies, civics, and government.  Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, however, the initial focus will be on outreach conducted by remote means.

Each year, the Florida Supreme Court welcomes more than 10,000 visitors.  The learning center will enhance the many yearly school tours and be open to all Floridians and visitors from around the world, both in person and online, who want to learn more about the Florida courts system and significant cases and issues in Florida’s legal history.  A collaborative effort between the Florida Supreme Court Law Library and Public Information Office, with support from the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, The Florida Bar, and the Florida Court Public Information Officers, the JLC is a part of the Florida judiciary’s effort to build and maintain public trust and confidence in the courts and implement effective communications with the public.

Court News Florida

A collaborative effort of the Florida Supreme Court, the Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator, and the Florida Court Public Information Officers, Court News Florida (CNF) aggregates court news and information from all levels of the state’s judicial branch from a single, convenient source.  Launched in January 2021 and available at CourtNewsFlorida.org, this site is the culmination of five years of activities delineated by Delivering Our Message: Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida 2016, which the court public information officers are charged with implementing.  CNF was designed in response to the communication plan’s directive to make better use of technology to communicate with the public, including better websites, social media, podcasting, and phone app development.  CNF also supports branch efforts to meet the goals detailed in Issue #3 of the 2016 – 2021 Long-Range Strategic Plan for the Florida Judicial Branch, which focus on improving understanding of the judicial process. ​

Court Publications

To familiarize people with the judicial branch and to enhance communication between the courts and other justice system entities, the legislature, and the executive branch, OSCA’s Innovations and Outreach Unit, under the direction of the supreme court, produces the Florida State Courts Annual Report each year.  In addition, several times a year, the unit publishes the Full Court Press, the official newsletter of the state courts system, which aims to share information about local and statewide court-based initiatives and programs, to promote communication among Florida’s state courts, and to serve as a kind of “meeting place” for all the members of the state courts family, both immediate and extended.

Florida Supreme Court Library and Archives

The Florida Supreme Court Library, founded in 1845, is one of the oldest of Florida’s state-supported libraries.  It was originally established for use by the supreme court and the attorneys who practice before it.  Although that continues to be its primary purpose, it now serves the entire state courts system as well.  Library staff also provide assistance to other law libraries, law firms, and state agencies, and the library is open to the public: people can do legal or historical research there, and school, family, and adult groups are invited to learn about the treasures in its rare book room.

While the supreme court has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as an alternative to in-person legal research assistance for patrons, the law library launched a Live Chat feature on the Florida Supreme Court website in August 2020.  Available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET, Live Chat is a two-way chat feature that offers a fast, convenient way for patrons to reach library staff.  Although staff cannot answer legal questions, they can answer questions about the library and its collection, explain how to locate and use online legal resources, help people find law-related materials using specific citations, and refer them to appropriate agencies during this time of limited in-person access.  (Access Live Chat here.)     

The library also hosts the supreme court archives, which contain primary documents of Florida Supreme Court history related to the court and its justices.  In 1982, the supreme court librarian at the time had the notion of engaging the assistance of some of the dignitaries of the legal community to seek out, collect, preserve, and make publicly available the important historical documents of the members of Florida’s highest court.  His idea galvanized the creation of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society; together, the librarian and the historical society began the process of building the collection—and the archives came into being.

Thanks to the steadfast partnership between the historical society and the library, the archives continue to thrive.  During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, two donations to the archives were accepted: a color print of the exterior of the Florida Supreme Court Building, created in 1985 by artist Anni Moller (the print was a gift from former Justice Harry Anstead to the attorneys of Central Staff, who kindly donated it to the archives); and 37 supreme court-related images donated by Mr. Mark Foley, long-time official photographer of the Florida legislature.  In addition, former Justices Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince donated copious papers—office files, travel files, opinion files, speeches, and correspondence—to the archives in 2019, and the archivist, Mr. Erik Robinson, has been inventorying these papers; the Pariente papers are now more than half completed.

Also during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, library displays in the rotunda included a revised version of the Evolution of Justice exhibit, showcasing highlights from the rare book and archival collections.  Materials related to justice during the Depression and World War II Era (1926 – 1945) were featured, including the election campaign material from former Justice Elwyn Thomas, who served on the bench from 1938 – 1969.

Finally, the Office of Public Information continues expanding its outreach to the public with regular posts of a historical nature on Facebook and other social media.  The library’s archives staff and the library director have contributed numerous historic court photos and historical information to this effort, helping the library to extend its outreach as well.

Election 2000 Memory Project

The Election 2000 Memory Project commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the Bush v. Gore presidential election cases at the Florida Supreme Court, capturing memories and reflections of court life in November—December 2000.  The Supreme Court Library and Archives, the Public Information Office, and the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society collaborated to develop this project, which was designed to provide historical documentation for a permanent archive of election-related events.

Essential to this process was capturing the memories of court staff in addition to recollections from justices.  The memories of staff attorneys, court employees, clerk staff, security personnel, and others who lived the day-to-day events alongside the justices present a complete picture of court life and provide valuable historical insights.  Before long, submissions included memories of angry phone calls, bulletproof vests, website crashes, and broken copy machines.  Over the summer, interest in the project grew, and others with court-related memories added their recollections.  Submissions from judges and court staff from trial courts, lawyers, teachers, local law enforcement, and journalists were added to the archive.  The message was clear: memories of the 2000 presidential election are diverse and compelling from all perspectives.

The supreme court compiled the stories for print and web publications.  Excerpts will be used in educational materials, social media posts, and exhibits in the new Florida Supreme Court Judicial Learning Center.  (See the Election 2000 Memory Project.)