Keep It Coming Florida Courts

Florida just won't stop, eh? Let me tell you before you read this article that I grew up with the belief that court stenographers were a part of the courtroom--automatically. To my dismay, when I called attention to the fact that my judge was twisting the truth (aka lying), there was no way to prove it because there was no record. Yep, in Florida you must request a court reporter. No one explained that to me when I was pro se.

Florida NOW Opposes New Rule Limiting Court Information to the Public

A veil of secrecy is descending over Florida Courts. While Florida legislators boast of the "Sunshine Law"; the Florida Courts are seeking even more secrecy, with the help of the Florida Bar Trial Court Performance and Accountability Commission.

In most Courthouses over the past 20 years, the court reporting office has charged a small fee to the public for access to the recordings of court proceedings. The Florida Bar has proposed a rule which will prevent the public from obtaining these recordings unless they are edited first.

If this rule passes, recordings which currently cost less than $20, would cost significantly more, and many women fighting an unequal battle in the Family Law courts do not have the financial resources it would take to obtain them. The average cost is $4.50 per page, plus court time for court reporters. These fees can run into hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Chapters of the Florida National Organization for Women (NOW) have been conducting court-watches for many years in cases where bias and discrimination against women have been reported. These includes rape, murder, assault, and custody cases. The Florida NOW Child Custody/Court Watch Committee has incorporated Court Watch into its active agenda. Adele Guadalupe, from the Florida NOW Child Custody/Court Watch Committee says “We’ve received many frantic calls and emails from mothers who have lost custody of their children to abusers with documented histories of sexual abuse and domestic violence.”

In these never-ending courtroom battles when the father fights for sole custody, the mother frequently loses everything, becomes impoverished, and ends up living a life of despair. The parent with the most money, power, and influence is somehow able to convince judges that only his side need be heard in order to make a decision. In many cases, Judges are even refusing to let children of any age relate their relevant experiences.

Palm Beach County Public Defender Carey Haughwout, board member of the Florida Association of Public Defenders, is submitting comments to the Supreme Court on behalf of the FAPD. "The idea of a judge having discretion whether or not to give us a public record is of great concern" Haughwout said. "This is a wholesale restriction on access to a public event." When Haughwout receives a complaint about the conduct of a lawyer or a judge, she first listens to the sound recording. This new rule could detrimentally affect the outcome of justice in many cases.

Florida NOW urges the Florida Supreme Court to deny this new rule. Women demand more equality, not less.