Opinion ID: 1788490
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: supplemental resources trial court law clerks

Text: Supplemental resources assist our judges in the fundamental mission of safeguarding Floridians' constitutional rights of due process, equal protection, and access to courts. The Legislature, by funding the fiscal unification amendment to Article V, Section 14, recognized the valuable contribution that case managers, mediators, and magistrates make to the efficient and effective operation of the trial courts. However, further funding by the Legislature of judicial law clerks for trial judges is needed in order to facilitate the adjudication of cases. Judges rely on the support of professionals trained in the law to help them dispose of their cases. It is an inefficient use of judges' time for them to perform tasks that can be capably performed by support staff, such as reviewing lengthy hand-written pleadings or performing detailed legal research. Judges' ability to manage their caseloads and make informed decisions is enhanced when they are able to assign these and other tasks to law clerks. Law clerks are particularly useful in assisting trial judges with the tremendous workload generated by criminal cases in which prisoners challenge their judgments or sentences in postconviction proceedings. Over the past ten years, the number of postconviction filings in the trial and intermediate appellate courts has grown substantially. This is largely attributable to statutory changes relating to sentencing, the growth in the prison population, and the increase in time served by prisoners. The preparation and review of postconviction matters is labor-intensive and law clerks are essential to the process. As a result of the increased workload, chief judges have been forced to reallocate law clerks from other divisions of court to provide support to postconviction matters. Even with this reallocation, many circuits struggle to avoid delays in handling these matters. We strongly encourage the Legislature to consider our Legislative Budget Request related to judicial law clerks, who perform a vital service for the trial courts in multiple areas and are particularly useful in capital cases, county to circuit appeals, and complex civil litigation in addition to postconviction proceedings.