Senate Bill sb1302
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    Florida Senate - 2005                                 SJR 1302
    By Senator Posey
    24-1292-05
  1                 Senate Joint Resolution No. ____
  2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to
  3         Section 2 of Article V of the State
  4         Constitution, relating to the judiciary, to
  5         abolish the power of the Supreme Court to adopt
  6         rules of practice and procedure for all courts;
  7         create a judicial conference to propose such
  8         rules; and empower the Legislature to accept,
  9         amend, or reject proposed rules, and to repeal
10         or amend rules, by general law.
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12  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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14         That the following amendment to Section 2 of Article V
15  of the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted
16  to the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the
17  next general election or at an earlier special election
18  specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
19                            ARTICLE V
20                            JUDICIARY
21         SECTION 2.  Administration; practice and procedure.--
22         (a)  A judicial conference is created. The duty of the
23  judicial conference is to propose rules of practice and
24  procedure in all courts.
25         (1)  The judicial conference shall be composed of
26  members selected in the manner provided by general law.
27         (2)  The members of the judicial conference shall, by
28  majority vote, choose their chair and adopt rules to govern
29  their proceedings.
30         (3)  The clerk of the supreme court shall serve as
31  clerk of the judicial conference.
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    Florida Senate - 2005                                 SJR 1302
    24-1292-05
 1         (4)  Rules of practice and procedure proposed by the
 2  judicial conference shall be transmitted to the legislature
 3  for consideration. The legislature may amend, adopt, or reject
 4  such rules by general law. Unless and until adopted by general
 5  law, rules proposed by the judicial conference shall be of no
 6  force and effect. If the legislature takes no action upon a
 7  proposed rule before the next general election, the proposed
 8  rule shall be deemed rejected.
 9         (5)  Rules proposed by the judicial conference may not
10  be inconsistent with general law and may not abridge, enlarge,
11  or modify any substantive right.
12         (6)  Rules of practice and procedure may be repealed or
13  amended by general law. The supreme court shall adopt rules
14  for the practice and procedure in all courts including the
15  time for seeking appellate review, the administrative
16  supervision of all courts, the transfer to the court having
17  jurisdiction of any proceeding when the jurisdiction of
18  another court has been improvidently invoked, and a
19  requirement that no cause shall be dismissed because an
20  improper remedy has been sought.  The supreme court shall
21  adopt rules to allow the court and the district courts of
22  appeal to submit questions relating to military law to the
23  federal Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces for an advisory
24  opinion.  Rules of court may be repealed by general law
25  enacted by two-thirds vote of the membership of each house of
26  the legislature.
27         (b)  The chief justice of the supreme court shall be
28  chosen by a majority of the members of the court; shall be the
29  chief administrative officer of the judicial system; and shall
30  have the power to assign justices or judges, including
31  consenting retired justices or judges, to temporary duty in
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    Florida Senate - 2005                                 SJR 1302
    24-1292-05
 1  any court for which the judge is qualified and to delegate to
 2  a chief judge of a judicial circuit the power to assign judges
 3  for duty in that circuit.
 4         (c)  A chief judge for each district court of appeal
 5  shall be chosen by a majority of the judges thereof or, if
 6  there is no majority, by the chief justice.  The chief judge
 7  shall be responsible for the administrative supervision of the
 8  court.
 9         (d)  A chief judge in each circuit shall be chosen from
10  among the circuit judges as provided by supreme court rule.
11  The chief judge shall be responsible for the administrative
12  supervision of the circuit courts and county courts in his
13  circuit.
14         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
15  placed on the ballot:
16                     CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
17                       ARTICLE V, SECTION 2
18         JUDICIAL CONFERENCE.--Proposing an amendment to the
19  State Constitution to remove the Supreme Court's current
20  authority to adopt rules of practice and procedure in all
21  courts. The amendment creates a judicial conference empowered
22  to propose rules of practice and procedure in all courts. The
23  amendment provides that the judicial conference be composed of
24  members in a manner provided by general law. The amendment
25  requires the judicial conference to transmit its rule
26  proposals to the Legislature. The amendment empowers the
27  Legislature to amend, adopt, reject, or repeal rules of
28  practice and procedure by general law. Under the amendment,
29  rules proposed by the judicial conference will have no force
30  or effect unless and until adopted by general law. If no
31  action is taken by the Legislature to adopt a rule by the next
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    Florida Senate - 2005                                 SJR 1302
    24-1292-05
 1  general election, the proposed rule is deemed rejected. The
 2  amendment provides that rules proposed by the judicial
 3  conference may not be inconsistent with general law and may
 4  not abridge, enlarge, or modify any substantive right.
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