The Chief Justice of Florida’s Supreme Court recently sent very clear and direct orders to each of the Chief Judges in circuits all around this state, reminding them that Due Process and other important Constitutional Rights demands that our courtrooms be open and accessible to all Floridians. This was a major step forward in the fight to ensure justice and fairness are maintained in our courtrooms. We must continue to support our press and organizations like the ACLU, the Florida First Amendment Foundation and the lawyers who are fighting for the rights of all Americans. The dramatic action of our Chief Justice shows that justice is very much alive. We must aggressively attack threats to our liberties wherever they present and we must support those who are fighting a much higher calling…..if they give up…it’s all over.
Foreclosure hearings
Regarding “Hillsborough’s chief judge says foreclosure hearings are open,” (Metro, Dec. 3): It is troubling to read Chief Judge Manuel Menendez questioning the factual basis for the recent administrative directive issued by Chief Justice Charles Canady to the state’s 20 judicial circuits. Prompted by a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union and several media and First Amendment organizations, the directive addressed barriers to public access to foreclosure proceedings. It instructed judges around the state to ensure that these proceedings are open to the public. Menendez suggested that “a possible source of the allegation that foreclosure proceedings are not open to the public might be from an Internet blog” published by a Tampa-area foreclosure defense attorney. The letter to Canady did not rely on blog accounts or other questionable sources of “allegations.” The examples described in the letter reflect specific reports conveyed to our organizations by reliable sources. The chief justice’s strong affirmation of the right of access to Florida’s courts deserves the highest praise. Any suggestion that it was based on faulty facts is simply wrong. Larry Schwartztol New York City
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