Florida Newspaper Steps Up For Civil Courts Access

The Sun Sentinel newspaper in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has published a detailed overview of the state’s civil courts access challenges, noting also that Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga has launched an effort to “… make the courthouse more accessible to working-class Floridians. It’s a worthwhile goal, one that deserves wholehearted support from business leaders and elected officials. Unfortunately, the initiative may stall without a sign of support from Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature, who regularly find themselves at odds with the court system.”

The newspaper notes that the current Florida budget “shorts” the courts some $22 million and also outlines why cuts in Congress are going to make things worse. Among other telling details, the editorial, signed “by the editorial board,” points out that people represent themselves in roughly 85 percent of family law cases, which the authors say is “a number that should give us pause.”

Indeed. It is a strong overview of how court access is hurting families and offers some suggestions. Read more: Courthouse too expensive for too many