Chief Justice Message
Message from Chief Justice Charles T. Canady
自从我去年写这篇文章以来，我们都经历了一段非常艰难的时期. I know that some of us have personally suffered from COVID-19. And some of us, sadly, have lost people dear to us. 我们的工作生活和家庭生活都被彻底打乱了. We will not soon forget the challenges we have been facing. With the publication of the Florida State Courts Annual Report, however, we turn to reflect on what we have achieved, despite—or, in some ways, because of—these challenges. The adversities posed by the pandemic have been great, 但拉菲2客户端系统及其合作伙伴继续以创造性的方式满足他们.
我们明白，保护我国人民的自由和繁荣取决于一个健康的, 司法系统的正常运转，以及人人享有平等司法的目标——如果没有法院和律师，这一目标将毫无意义——是我们宪法的核心和美国的承诺. Accordingly, in early March, 佛罗里达州司法部门立即采取行动应对COVID-19危机. In a matter of days and weeks, all around the state, 我们引入了许多司法系统的参与者认为他们一生都不会看到的适应性措施——这些修改给我们所有人的工作方式带来了彻底的变化. To enable court proceedings to be conducted remotely, we had to establish new procedures and adopt new technologies. Court staff worked to procure, install, 并为该州的每位法官以及许多工作人员(超过1人)发放视频会议许可证,700 Zoom licenses were installed). Swiftly, 拉菲2客户端和律师开始转向使用视频和电话会议来处理可以通过这些方式解决的问题. Everyone acclimated to the changed environment with admirable speed.
Due to the constraints posed by the pandemic, we have been able to conduct only a very small number of trials, and a daunting number of trial court cases has been stacking up. Even so, much of the work of justice has continued during this time, and cases have been moving forward: between March and December 2020, more than 400,法官和法院工作人员举行了000次Zoom听证会和其他活动, involving 2.6 million participants. 主要通过远程程序，佛罗里达州的审判法院正在处理预计的2亿美元.8 million cases in fiscal year 2020 – 2021. The appellate courts adjusted as well, 使用视频会议技术以与紧急情况发生前大致相同的方式处理案件. 远程技术从根本上改变了佛罗里达州法院执行司法的方式.
I believe our success has three sources. First, right after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 我们制定了全部门的政策和程序，以准备和管理可能扰乱法院运作的威胁和紧急情况. 我们在2001年制定的两项基本政策目标——保护法院所有人的生命和健康，保持法院开放，确保为人民伸张正义——决定了我们应对COVID-19的行动.
Second, over time, 我们采用了许多技术创新，这些创新在大流行期间被证明是无价的. Thanks to electronic filing, which we introduced in 2011, 律师和诉讼当事人正在向法庭书记员提交法庭文件, 下级法庭向上诉法院提交法庭文件, without anyone jeopardizing their health. And in 2014, we began using video remote interpreting, which 17 of our 20 judicial circuits are now using; this critical access-to-justice tool enables our courts to minimize in-person contact while continuing to serve the needs of those with limited English proficiency. In addition, 我们的案件管理系统使法官和法院工作人员能够在家管理工作量，并支持在大流行期间远程进行诉讼的努力. I should also mention that, in 2009, 最高法院引入了使用社交媒体来更好地与我们所服务的公众沟通, and, since the 2016 release of the branch-wide communication plan, 佛罗里达州各级法院都实施了社交媒体政策，并开发了社交媒体账户，以便与内部和外部受众快速有效地沟通——这在大流行期间非常有帮助.
Finally, 如果没有奉献精神，我们的成功是不可能的, resourcefulness, and flexibility of a great many people in the justice system. 我们的首席法官在适应这一大流行病带来的困难方面发挥了积极的领导作用, 我们的法官一直在努力在疫情情况下最大限度地开展司法工作. 我们的2019冠状病毒病期间和之后法院业务和诉讼连续性问题工作组为司法部门应对大流行带来的挑战作出了非凡贡献. 我们的法院工作人员孜孜不倦地提供必要的支持，使法官能够完成他们的工作. And, of course, our justice system partners—clerks, counties, sheriffs, state attorneys, public defenders, 在我们的法庭上出庭的律师们都在继续正义的工作中发挥着至关重要的作用. 我非常感谢所有这些努力，以确保法院能够在疫情面前为佛罗里达州人民服务.
我们对疫情的应对将永远改变佛罗里达州法院的运作方式. 这一经历教会了我们很多东西，在我们超越COVID-19强加给我们的限制很久之后，这些东西将使我们的法院系统受益. I imagine that, in future years, when we look back on this difficult time, 我们要播下让人民走进法院的种子, efficient, and responsive. For instance, although traditional, 当面诉讼仍将是我国法院工作的核心, 我们发现通过远程程序可以完成很多工作, which can significantly reduce the cost and burdens of litigation. 我们的新做法受到了律师们的欢迎，也受到了许多来法庭的人的欢迎. Many challenges await us in the courts. 但是，我在应对冠状病毒爆发中看到的同样的优势，将在我们恢复和恢复的过程中对我们有益.