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Appellate Practice Section Emergency Call to Action |
Good morning friends and colleagues. I appreciate that you are very busy, and I'm sending this today because it is important, requires your prompt action, and I'll make it as brief as I can. The problem and the reason I'm contacting you: To be sure, we appreciate our judiciary and the need for a strong judicial branch. We have played supportive roles in the Legislative component to minimize cuts to the judiciary. And the Legislature established a Trust Fund to fund the courts and pay the operations of the courts to allay further cuts. This year, the Trust Fund has grown very big because of all the foreclosure filing fees. But the Office of State Court Administrators (OSCA) has informed us of the following: This year, the Legislature proposed that all "elected officials" take a pay cut of 3 percent. That is on top of the 2 percent cut they took the year before. "Elected official" disproportionately affects our judges, particularly the circuit and county court judges. The Governor vetoed the 2 percent reduction for most employees, but could not do so for our judges, state attorneys, elected public defenders and other groups of elected officials. So last year, almost 100 percent of all those "elected officials" hit with salary and benefits cuts were judges. This is on top of the fact that our judges have not received pay raises in four years. We can all imagine how disheartening this was last year. Imagine how disheartening is to hear again this year. Our District Courts of Appeal are the fourth busiest appellate courts in the nation (2.5 times the median), yet rank 13th in pay. Our DCAs are trying to ensure that they do not have to cut the salaries and benefits of their staff either. As a result of this proposal for further cuts and not allowing the tapping of the Trust Fund, our Chief Judges are going to have to wring all that they can from the money that they do have currently, to pay for operating expenses for the courts. In addition to their own actual and inflationary pay cuts, our District Courts of Appeal judges are already on skeletal staff. We all hear the accounts, and they are truly alarming. The Call to Action: We often speak of the importance of a robust judiciary and appreciation for the strong support of our appellate courts in our Appellate Practice Section. John F. Kennedy once said that, "as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live and take action by them." We are each presented today with an opportunity to demonstrate our continued support of our judiciary. Below are the names and contact information of the House and Senate leadership that I am asking you to contact right away: Sen. Jeff Atwater Email: atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov Tallahassee Office: 312 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 (850) 487-5100 Senate VOIP: 5100 412 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 (850) 487-5044 Senate VOIP: 5044 Sen. Mike Haridopolos 420 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 (850) 487-5056 Senate VOIP: 5056 Capitol Office 222 The Capitol 402 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 Rep. Dean Cannon Send an Email Tallahassee Office: Capitol Office 422 The Capitol 402 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 Phone: (850) 488-2742 Capitol Office 420 The Capitol 402 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 Phone: (850) 488-1450 If any one knows any of the above House and Senate leadership please, today, contact that leader and communicate the importance of preserving the salaries and benefits of our judicial branch. As to contours, please send any email or send any message that you feel appropriate. However, the following message is presented for economy of time and it appears to address the root of the problem: Fully appreciating the $3 billion gap that Florida needs to close and that there are no easy answers, it would be a tragic mistake to further reduce judicial salaries and benefits. Excellent judges are vital to a strong judiciary for the benefit of all Florida citizens. Many excellent judges who have left our bench cite judicial salary and benefit reductions as the primary reason for being forced to leave. Fine judges are not fungible and easily interchangeable with just anyone. Florida needs competitive salaries and benefits to attract high caliber judges, keep them and keep our courts functioning on all of its vital levels. Reducing judicial salaries and benefits will have a direct impact on the ability for Florida citizens to access the courts in a meaningful way. The Legislature created a Trust Fund for this very purpose and can use that Trust Fund. There is no reason to not use that money and to, instead, further reduce salaries and benefits of our judiciary. Please, restore last year's pay cut. If that cannot be restored, please make no further reductions in judicial salaries and benefits and no modifications to the pension plan for judges. Thank you for taking the time to read this email message, and thank you even more for taking time to take action. — Dorothy F. Easley, Chair, Appellate Practice Section 2009-10 |
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