Judicial administration and evaluation.

• Author: Goodman, Ross M.
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of The Florida Bar

The Judicial Administration and Evaluation Committee, referred to as the JAEC, worked diligently in the 2015-2016 Bar year to promote the online Judicial Feedback program for which the committee is responsible. Across the state, committee members:

* Met with local bar associations and groups of lawyers.

* Placed full-page advertisements in The Florida Bar News.

* Had judges hand out evaluation forms to attorneys as cases resolved.

* Asked judges and judicial assistants to add instructions on how to use the Judicial Feedback program as a tag on every outgoing email.

Despite the multipronged approach to generate more feedback, the response rate was appallingly low. In less than 1 percent of the cases across the state did attorneys submit an anonymous evaluation of the judge. Thus, Florida judges are not provided any meaningful feedback on their performance, other than when they run for re-election.

The committee consulted with other states, and heard from a justice on the Arizona Supreme Court. After its research, the committee concluded that the only systems in which judges get any meaningful feedback are those where there is mandatory feedback.

Some states have panels that regularly review judges' performance. Other states require attorneys to submit a review when they close a case. The committee considered all of these other methods. Some would require funding, which could be difficult to obtain. The ones that were mandatory did not strike the committee as an attractive solution in Florida.

Thus, the committee is back where it started. Anyone reading this report who has an idea on how Florida judges can get honest evaluations so they can improve their performance, please email your suggestion to judge. rgoodman@ficourtsl.gov.

* Requesting Program Evaluation Committee Review--On another note, the JAEC reviewed its charter and submitted a request to the Board of Governors Program Evaluation Committee to review our charter, and to give guidance on where the Board of Governors would like the JAEC to direct its resources and talents.

The JAEC looks forward to direction from the Board of Governors, and the exploration of new areas, as well as continuing to pursue a workable, acceptable method for providing feedback to our judges.

* Merit Retention Poll; Voluntary Self-Disclosure Statements--While the Judicial Feedback program is struggling, other programs that the committee oversees are doing well. The expectation going into the 2016 general...