Chief Justice Canady says the courts are making a dent in case backlogs
Chief Justice Canady
Florida’s trial courts and the state’s lawyers are collaboratively working through the pandemic induced backlog of cases and progress is being made.
That’s the message Chief Justice Charles Canady delivered in his annual state of the judiciary commentary at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual Supreme Evening event April 7 in Tallahassee.
“I am pleased to report on this occasion the state of our court and of the Florida judiciary is strong,” Canady told a full house in brief remarks at the event that was held in-person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
The chief justice said he was “proud to report” a nearly 30% reduction in the overall backlog of cases in the trial courts since July 1 of last year.
“That is a lot of progress,” Canady said. “And through aggressive case management, circuit civil and county civil have seen a 50% reduction in the backlog and that far exceeds what we anticipated and it is only happening because a lot of judges and a lot of lawyers are working hard to move those cases forward to resolution.”
Acknowledging the past few years have been stressful for both judges and practitioners alike in the trial courts, Canady said the courts had no choice but to “take steps to aggressively address the backlog or it would be with us for years and years.”
He said the courts and other governmental institutions have faced unprecedented strains, but have withstood those stresses, underscoring the importance of an independent judicial branch.
“Like the rest of the world, we have been through a difficult time and like the rest of the world, we are trying to figure out exactly what the new normal will look like,” Canady said.
While unable to address specifics on what form that “new normal” may take, Canady alluded to proposed changes now moving through rules process.
A sweeping rules petition filed by the Supreme Court’s Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19 designed to promote permanent, broader access to remote court proceedings was argued in February. The Judicial Management Council’s Workgroup on Improved Resolution of Civil Cases is also advancing a host of procedural rule changes that would impose more judicial control on civil cases, tighten rules (including tougher sanctions) for discovery, depositions, and continuances, and have reports to the Supreme Court when judges don’t expeditiously rule on motions and decide cases.
“Our trial courts are working hard to deal with the pandemic generated backlog and it is an enormous backlog, but I appreciate the work that is being done in the trial courts across the state every day to address it,” Canady said.
Canady, concluding his third term as chief justice June 30, received a standing ovation from those in attendance for his guidance of the court system though the pandemic.
