Title: In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.205
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC18-992
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: July 6, 2018

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC18-992 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO 
FLORIDA RULE OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION 2.205. 
 
[July 6, 2018] 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
This Court, on its own motion, amends Florida Rule of Judicial 
Administration 2.205(a)(1) (Internal Government; Exercise of Powers and 
Jurisdiction), as explained below.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.; Fla. R. Jud. 
Admin. 2.140(g)(1). 
 
In In re Implementation of Judicial Branch Governance Study Group 
Recommendations—Amendments to Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, 121 
So. 3d 1, 1 (Fla. 2012), as part of the Court’s goal to “strengthen the governance 
and policy development structures of the Florida judicial branch,” this Court 
amended subdivision (a)(1)(A) of rule 2.205, as suggested by the Judicial Branch 
Governance Study Group, to expressly recognize that this Court establishes policy 
for the judicial branch.  Consistent with the Court’s policy-making authority, 
 
 
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which includes establishing state budget and compensation priorities for the 
judicial branch, the Court also added subdivision (a)(1)(B) to rule 2.205 to prohibit 
any judge or supreme court created body, or any conference of judges from 
recommending to the legislative or executive branch state budget priorities, 
including compensation and benefits, that have not been approved by the Court.  
As originally adopted, subdivision (a)(1)(B) recognizes that this prohibition does 
not “apply to judges expressing their personal views who affirmatively make it 
explicitly clear that they are not speaking on behalf of the judicial branch.”   
The Court now amends subdivision (a)(1)(B) to further prohibit any judge or 
supreme court created body, or any conference of judges from recommending to 
“any legislative or executive branch entity” “any policy inconsistent with a policy 
position adopted by [this Court].”  The Court also adds a sentence to that 
subdivision to make clear that “[n]o resources of any judicial branch entity may be 
used to facilitate or support the expression of [a judge’s] personal views.”   
Accordingly, Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.205 is amended as 
set forth in the appendix to this opinion.  New language is indicated by 
underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-through type.  The amendments 
shall become effective immediately upon the release of this opinion.  Because the 
amendments were not published for comment prior to their adoption, interested 
 
 
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persons shall have sixty days from the date of this opinion in which to file 
comments with the Court.1 
It is so ordered. 
CANADY, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, LABARGA, 
and LAWSON, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.  
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 
 
                                          
 
1.  All comments must be filed with the Court on or before September 4, 
2018, with a separate request for oral argument if the person filing the comment 
wishes to participate in oral argument, which may be scheduled in this case.  If 
filed by an attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar, the comment must be 
electronically filed via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (Portal) in accordance 
with In re Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court of Florida via the Florida 
Courts E-Filing Portal, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC13-7 (Feb. 18, 2013).  If 
filed by a nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in Florida, the comment 
may be, but is not required to be, filed via the Portal.  Comments filed via the 
Portal must be submitted in Microsoft Word 97 or higher.  See In re Electronic 
Filing in the Florida Supreme Court, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC17-27 (May 9, 
2017).  Any person unable to submit a comment electronically must mail or hand-
deliver the originally signed comment to the Florida Supreme Court, Office of the 
Clerk, 500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1927; no additional 
copies are required or will be accepted. 
 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
RULE 2.205. 
THE SUPREME COURT  
(a) 
 Internal Government. 
 
(1) 
Exercise of Powers and Jurisdiction. 
(A)  [No Change]  
(B)  Consistent with the authority of the supreme court to 
establish policy, including recommending state budget and compensation priorities 
for the judicial branch, no judge, supreme court created committee, commission, 
task force, or similar group, and no conference (Conference of District Court of 
Appeal Judges, Conference of Circuit Court Judges, Conference of County Court 
Judges) is permitted to recommend to any legislative or executive branch entity 
state budget priorities, including compensation and benefits, to the legislative or 
executive branch that have not been approved by the supreme court.,or any policy 
inconsistent with a policy position adopted by the supreme court. This subdivision 
is not intended to apply to judges expressing their personal views who 
affirmatively state that they are not speaking on behalf of the judicial branch. No 
resources of any judicial branch entity may be used to facilitate or support the 
expression of such personal views. 
(C)  [No Change] 
(2) - (4) 
[No Change]  
 
(b) – (g) 
[No Change]