Opinion ID: 1133035
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Part I Validity of the Legislation

Text: Article V, section 9 of the Florida Constitution provides in relevant part: If the supreme court finds that a need exists for increasing or decreasing the number of judges or increasing, decreasing or redefining appellate districts and judicial circuits, it shall, prior to the next regular session of the legislature, certify to the legislature its findings and recommendations concerning such need. Upon receipt of such certificate, the legislature, at the next regular session, shall consider the findings and recommendations and may reject the recommendations or by law implement the recommendations in whole or in part; provided the legislature may create more judicial offices than are recommended by the supreme court or may decrease the number of judicial offices by a greater number than recommended by the court only upon a finding of two-thirds of the membership of both houses of the legislature, that such a need exists. [6] This provision has not previously been the subject of any judicial interpretation. To guide our interpretation, we look to three established rules of constitutional construction. In construing provisions of the constitution, each provision must be given effect, according to its plain and ordinary meaning. The court must give provisions a reasonable meaning, tending to fulfill, not frustrate, the intent of the framers and adopters. Constructions which are strained, lead to absurd results, or render another provision nugatory must be avoided. Gray v. Bryant, 125 So.2d 846 (Fla. 1960). Unless a different intent is clearly manifested, each section of the constitution should be read in conjunction, with all other provisions to determine its proper meaning, and the entire document should receive a consistent and uniform interpretation. Askew v. Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 336 So.2d 556 (Fla. 1976). Where particular words or phrases are ambiguous, resort may be had to the history of the particular provision. Williams v. Smith, 360 So.2d 417 (Fla. 1978). (1) Applying the first set of principles, we can see that the framers of article V, section 9, did not intend the creation of new judicial positions, of new appellate districts or judicial circuits, or the realignment of existing appellate districts and judicial circuits to be solely the prerogative of either the legislature or the judiciary. The two branches of state government are, instead, required to share that responsibility, with each performing specifically delineated functions. The supreme court determines that a need exists and makes recommendations to the legislature to meet those needs. That body may then reject the court's recommendations, or it may implement them in whole or in part. The plain language of this section suggests that the phrase in whole or in part would allow the legislature to implement in part each recommendation which the constitution authorizes the court to certify. The supreme court's recommendations would, in effect, serve as the outer limits of what the legislature may do (except when, by a two-thirds vote, the legislature increases the number of judgeships beyond the increase recommended by the court or decreases the number of judgeships beyond the decrease recommended by the court). Those rules of construction which require adherence to the plain meaning of language in the constitution suggest, then, that the legislature is free to implement each of the court's recommendations in whole or in part. (2) Applying the second principle of construction  that all provisions of the constitution should be read in conjunction with all others so as to provide a consistent meaning  directs our attention to other constitutional provisions which require joint legislative-judicial responsibility. Under article V, section 2(a), the supreme court has the initial responsibility to adopt rules of procedure and practice for the courts, and the legislature is given the power to reject any rule upon a two-thirds vote. No provision is made for partial acceptance by the legislature  either it must completely reject a rule or allow it to remain effective. This limitation is in striking contrast to the specific authorization for legislative implementation in whole or in part under article V, section 9. Similarly, under article III, section 16, relating to legislative reapportionment, the legislature is required to adopt an initial apportionment resolution which must be approved by the supreme court. The court's authority, however, is restricted to determining the resolution's validity or invalidity  it cannot amend the resolution to apportion in whole or in part. (Of course, upon a failure of the legislature to reapportion, the court is authorized to enter its own apportionment order, just as under article V, section 9, the legislature can create judgeships or realign appellate districts and judicial circuits upon a failure of the court to certify the need for these actions.) These provisions suggest that the phrase in whole or in part in article V, section 9, was intended to create a legislative power greater than a mere acceptance or rejection of the court's proposals. (3) The third constructional tenet that is relevant here  resort to the history of a constitutional provision that is ambiguous  leads to an analysis of the development of this provision during the 1971 special session of the legislature. Article V, section 9, became part of the Florida Constitution in 1972, as part of a general revision of article V adopted by the legislature in 1971. No previous constitution contained a similar provision. The process by which this section was drafted reflects the intent of its framers. [7] The first drafts, prepared by House Judiciary Committee in September and early November 1971, provided that increases or decreases in judicial positions, appellate districts, and judicial circuits, and realignment of districts and circuits, were to be accomplished only by certificate of the supreme court. The certificate was to take effect thirty days after adjournment of the next succeeding regular session of the legislature ... unless disapproved or modified by law at that session. (Emphasis supplied.) As passed by the House, however, the proposed provision contained no reference to the supreme court's certification, and the entire responsibility for implementing changes in the number of judges, and in the alignment and number of districts and circuits, was assigned to the legislature. [8] The Senate substantially amended the House resolution, reinstating the supreme court's certification authority but retaining the legislature's authority to modify at will the court's recommendations. In fact, the court was expressly authorized to certify only its findings of fact; it was not authorized to certify recommendations. [9] A conference committee, formed to resolve differences between the House and the Senate, in due course produced section 9 in its present form. The House Committee summarized the proposed provision as follows: a. Supreme Court certifies need to increase or decrease number of judges. b. Legislature shall act to approve or to reject; c. If legislature wants to create more judicial officers than recommended by the court (or to reduce beyond such recommendation), it must find a need for such action by two-thirds vote; d. If the Supreme Court fails to make finding [that] need exists, legislature may request court to make findings starting process described above. e. If court fails to certify within nine months, the legislature may, on a finding of two-thirds, increase or decrease judges. As is readily apparent, the framers of section 9 were concerned with the integrity of the court's certification, allowing a deviation only to exceed the court's recommendation for an increase or decrease of judgeships, and then only by a two-thirds majority. Conclusion. It is apparent from the foregoing analysis that article V, section 9 permits the legislature to implement each recommendation of the court in whole or in part. This conclusion is consistent with the legislature's fiscal role of ensuring adequate annual revenues to support all expenditures. [10] Translating this conclusion to the questions you have posed, there is no doubt that the creation of circuit and county court judgeships in CS for SB 268  in exactly the manner certified by the court  is valid under article V, section 9. Similarly, the creation of a fifth appellate district by CS for SB 268  implementing in part the court's recommendation  is also valid under that provision. The omission of one recommended judicial circuit from the new appellate district is not a prohibited modification of the court's recommendation; however, the addition of one or more judicial circuits not included in the court's certification would be a prohibited modification. The creation of district court judgeships stands on a somewhat different legal footing than these, but it is also constitutionally valid. To maintain the role of the court in the creation of new judgeships as was envisioned by the framers of this provision, it is necessary to consider each recommendation for judgeships in an appellate district as an independent recommendation of the court. A recommendation, as that term is used in article V, section 9, necessarily refers to the certification of a judicial manpower need for a judicial circuit or an appellate district or the certification of a need to realign an appellate district or a judicial circuit. This definition is best understood by considering its practical effect in a common situation. If the court were to certify the need for two additional circuit court judgeships for a particular judicial circuit, with or without recommendations for other judicial circuits, the legislature could, by simple majority vote in each chamber, authorize one, two, or no judgeships for that circuit. (This would reject or implement in whole or in part the court's recommendation.) The legislature could also, by a two-thirds vote of the membership of each chamber, authorize three or more judgeships for that circuit. (This would exceed the court's recommended increase by the authorized two-thirds majority.) The legislature could not, however, increase to three the number of new judgeships if less than a two-thirds vote were obtained in either house, and it could not by any vote use the court's certification of the need for additional judicial manpower in one judicial circuit as a basis to create one or more judgeships in another judicial circuit. The legislature approved the number of judges certified for the second, fourth and fifth district courts of appeal, thus validly implementing the court's recommendations for these districts in whole. It decreased by one the number certified for the third district, thus validly implementing our recommendation for this district in part. The legislature exceeded the court's recommendations only for the first district by creating two judgeships which were not recommended. Article V, section 9 provides, however, that the legislature may increase the recommended number of judgeships upon a two-thirds vote of each house. CS for SB 268 was duly enacted by this requisite two-thirds majority, so that these judgeships are also validly created. Additionally, in chapter 79-312, section 3, the legislature amended section 35.06(1), Florida Statutes (1977), by providing that there shall be nine judges rather than seven in the first district. Chapter 79-312 was adopted by a vote of 29 to 4 in the Senate [11] and by a vote of 107 to 0 in the House of Representatives. [12] The legislature's finding that a need exists for these two additional judgeships is clearly evidenced by its incorporation of the creation of these additional judgeships in chapter 79-312 which transfers all appellate jurisdiction from the Industrial Relations Commission to the first district. This transfer of jurisdiction, not known to the Supreme Court at the time of certification, created a need for these additional judges in the first district. In answer to your inquiry, we would advise you that CS for SB 268 has validly created the legislatively approved judicial offices in the county, circuit, and district courts, and that a fifth appellate district was thereby validly created to encompass the fifth, seventh, ninth, and eighteenth judicial circuits. The appointments which are available to you under CS for SB 268 include the five new judgeships created for the first, second, third, and fourth district courts, as many of the six new judgeships for the fifth district court as are not filled by judges opting under the legislation to become a part of the fifth district court, and as many of the old judgeships in the first, second, and fourth district courts as are vacated by judges opting into the fifth district court. Our opinion on this question renders it unnecessary to answer your third inquiry.