Full Court Press
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Spring 2007 FUll Court Press the official newsletter of the state courts system of fl orida In Th is Iss ue A Message from Lisa Goodner, State Courts Administrator Spring is upon us, which means that, for the judicial branch, legislative activities are heightening; court-appointed committees that have recently been established Legislative Update 2 or reauthorized are busily organizing meetings and setting priorities; and judicial education programs are in full -Employee Pay Plan 2 swing. In concert with this season of growth, renewal, change, and hope, the spring edition of the Full Court Committees 4 Court Press reflects the abundance -Committee Structure 4 of judicial events and endeavors that fl ourish this time of the year. -Judicial Management 6 The lead article is a legislative -Fairness & Diversity 8 update on the budget process, -Technology 12 focusing in particular on the judicial branch’s employee pay -Court Interpreters 13 plan, which is the funding priority -Families & Children 14 of Chief Justice Lewis and the entire judicial branch. Describing the -Drug Court 16 branch’s budget cycle activities, the article also characterizes the responsibilities of the Trial Court and DCA Budget Commissions in this cycle and Education & highlights the critical roles of Chief Judges Belvin Perry and Carolyn Fulmer, the two Outreach 17 commission chairs, in promoting the branch’s fiscal priorities. The article emphasizes the importance of providing the legislature with factual information documenting the -County Court Judges judicial branch’s budget needs so that lawmakers can make knowledgeable decisions & TCAs 17 about our funding requests. -Florida Judicial This edition also includes an excellent discussion of the committee structure of our state court system and explains the functions of our councils, commissions, division College 18 steering committees, workgroups and task forces, and “other committees.” Over time, the supreme court has developed a committee structure that makes the best use of the diversity and the expertise of our judges and court personnel and that Turning Points 20 promotes fruitful collaborations with our justice system partners. Here you will find in-depth stories on the Judicial Management Council and a number of other court-appointed bodies, and I believe you will find these articles very informative On the Horizon 22 and useful. This Full Court Press also focuses on some of the judicial education programs that have taken place this year. You’ll read about January’s Florida Judicial College, Phase I, attended by 110 new judges, the largest Phase I class ever, and about the annual education program of the county court judges, at which, for the fi rst time, the trial court administrators conducted their annual program. As always, we welcome your feedback, so please send us your comments and suggestions. Sincerely, Lisa Goo dner FUll Court Press Spring 2007 about our budget needs—information that they can use in Legislative Update making their decision about our budget request.” The Judicial Branch Pay Plan: According to Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr., Ninth Judicial The Top Priority in This Year’s Circuit and chair of the Trial Court Budget Commission, those meetings begin at the end of the calendar year. Legislative Budget Request Last December, for instance, he and some of the members of his “leadership team” met with Senate President Ken Although the annual legislative session doesn’t convene Pruitt at his home office in Port St. Lucie; soon after, they until early March, almost immediately after ventured to Ft. Lauderdale any given session’s adjournment—when the and Miami to meet with key white handkerchiefs dropped by the House leadership and their staff. and Senate sergeants at arms have barely Then, he and some of his team fi nished fluttering to the ground—OSCA and members spent a signifi cant the trial and appellate courts are already chunk of December, January, doing their homework for the following and February in Tallahassee, year’s budget request. According to Chief where, with Lisa Goodner and Judge Carolyn K. Fulmer, Second DCA and Director of Community and chair of the DCA Budget Commission, as Intergovernmental Relations photo by Ninth Judicial Circuit early as May or June, OSCA sends instructions Brenda Johnson, they met about budget preparation to each of the one-on-one with a multitude DCAs and circuit courts, and each is asked of legislators and staff. The to begin assessing its budgetary needs. By point, he declared, is to “meet August, the Trial Court Budget Commission with key people early, before (representing the trial courts) and the they get too busy, so that they DCA Budget Commission (representing the can assimilate what we’re DCAs) determine what should be included Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr., 9th Judicial saying before session begins.” in their respective budget requests. That Circuit information is submitted to the supreme Clearly, the Trial Court Budget court, and, in September, the chief justice Commission and the DCA and the chairs of two budget commissions meet to Budget Commission remain energetically occupied with the scrutinize together all the budget requests—the DCAs’, the budgetary process year round—not just for the few months trial courts’, and OSCA’s. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court before the legislative session. But then the fact that they Budget Oversight Committee conducts a similar process maintain such a high level of intensity shouldn’t be a surprise for the supreme court. Then by mid-October, the judicial because that is precisely why the two budget commissions branch’s legislative budget request is formally delineated. were constituted: each is charged with overseeing its portion of the preparation and implementation of the But that marks just the beginning of the process. For, soon judicial branch budget in a way that ensures equity in after the budget request is blocked out, members of the state funding among the circuits/districts—which is an budget commissions, OSCA personnel, and the chief justice ineffably time-consuming process. Both commissions were launch into a whirlwind of meetings with legislators and established by Rule of Judicial Administration: the Trial their staff to lay the foundation for successful passage of Court Budget Commission, in December 2000, and the DCA the budget request. These multiple meetings have a very Budget Commission, in December 2001. particular purpose. In their role as decision-makers about funding appropriations, legislators are expected to be Representing the entire judicial branch in the budgetary familiar with an unimaginably large amount of information process, the two budget commissions speak with a single, about the extraordinary range of issues that come before united voice when addressing legislative issues. What them. “Our job”—and the reason for all the meetings, that means is that whenever any members of the budget according to State Courts Administrator Lisa Goodner—“is commissions—or, for that matter, when Chief Justice Lewis, to provide legislators with good, sound, factual information Lisa Goodner, or Brenda Johnson—go “across the street” 2 FUll Court Press Spring 2007 to meet with legislative leaders and their staff, they all out our meetings, we go back to this being the number one converse from the same playbook, so to speak—the modus issue.” And this is true for Chief Justice Lewis as well; the operandi that the branch has practiced since it began chief, Judge Perry added, is demonstrating “outstanding preparing for the implementation of Revision 7. leadership” regarding this issue: “He’s spoken to all the decision-making committees, and the first thing he says is And what are the predominant issues on the minds of that the request is not about bricks and mortar but about these judicial leaders the real building blocks of this branch—which is for the 2007 legislative the people.” session? One fi nds many of the usual items: funding The chairs of the two budget commissions for court security, property also agree that they couldn’t do what they’re management, maintenance, doing without the help of OSCA, especially operational upkeep, capital Lisa Goodner and Brenda Johnson. These improvements, additional OSCA stalwarts work with all the judges, personnel, and due process priming them to meet with legislative leaders issues for the trial courts. and accompanying them to all their meetings Another customary item is across the street; and they put together talking need for additional judges points and informational packets and meeting (the supreme court certifi ed schedules, letting the judges know with whom the need for two DCA, 22 they need to be making contact. Also, Ms photo by Jerry Perkins, Perkins Photographic Photographic Perkins photo by Jerry Perkins, circuit, and 13 county court Johnson’s Community and Intergovernmental judges this year). Relations Unit educates judges about the judicial branch’s most pressing issues and about changes But, according to Chief Chief Judge Carolyn K. Fulmer, 2nd DCA in legislative leadership and procedure; creates Judges Perry and Fulmer, and helps execute a comprehensive strategy without exception, the very for the branch; fosters better communications first item on every judicial branch representative’s lips is and awareness—and a unified voice—within the branch; and the same: funding for the employee pay plan. This is Chief offers continuity and consistency to judges and legislators Justice Lewis’ funding priority; it is the branch’s priority; alike so that they all know where to go to get the information it is the priority of the two budget commissions; and it has they need. In Chief Judge Fulmer’s words, “It would be also been enthusiastically endorsed by the Conference of impossible to do this job in an effective manner without County Court Judges of Florida, the Florida Conference of them. To the extent I have any impact at all,” she said, “I Circuit Judges, and the Florida Conference of DCA Judges.