UPDATE: A helpful reader (who wears black robes) sent us this link for Zoom calendars
But here is the problem your honor.
When you go to the front page of the 11th Circuit Website- which is the landing page for searches, the page you provided us DOES NOT HAVE A LINK TO IT. In other words, the page you provided us is H.I.D.D.E.N.
What there should be, as a common user, and not a member of those that breathe rarified air hovering several feet above mere mortals in courtrooms, is a Link, prominently displayed on the front page, that says something like "ZOOM LINKS FOR ALL COURT HEARINGS. CLICK HERE!"
But of course, this being a project of the judiciary/bureaucrats, there is no such easy link. However, on the landing page, you can find all you want to know about SOFIA- State of Florida Interactive Access Pilot Project. So let's see, your loved one has been arrested and is in jail, you desperately want to attend the bond hearing. No links for Zoom. But you can spend several interesting minutes perusing a pilot project. Perhaps this will help ease your anxiety. But we do not think so.
Let's say you are a citizen of Dade County and someone you know was arrested. There is going to be a bond hearing, and of course it will be on Zoom. So what is the Zoom address?
Being a citizen of the 21st Century you use your phone to go to a web site. This should not be too hard.
After a few searched you get two website that look promising.
The Clerk of the Court website looks like it might work. And there is the 11th Judicial Circuit Website, which after a brief foray on the US Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals website, looks like it might help.
"Hmm...let me just search for 'Zoom Bond hearings'. Nothing. "
"Bond hearings? Nada. "
" Just a search on the website for 'Zoom' should work, right ? Just sort out the various Zoom addresses. This has to work... Strike three."
There are tabs for tickets, and divorces, and a lengthy discussion of domestic violence and not one, but two help lines anyone can call.
But a Zoom link for a bond hearing? Why would the Miami Court System provide that?
There are plenty of helpful maps with directions for parking. But of course, people do not want to park and go to court and get Covid and die (except in Broward, where it's June 2021 again and no masks are needed! Hurray! ).
It's been over 18 months and not one damn link discoverable on any Miami Dade Court or Clerk website for an F'ing zoom link for people who need it.
Oh wait. Here it is. It's cleverly hidden under the Title VIRTUAL COURT RESOURCES
Because putting a tab that says COURT ZOOM LINKS is too easy and makes too much sense for our court administrators. No, let's use the term "Virtual Court Resources" in a town in which many people do not speak English, and at least half the lawyers and Judges, not to mention 95% of the litigants call arraignments arrangements.
Why stop at Virtual Court Resources? Why not call it
Electronic Non-In Person Internet Web-Based Attendance Assistance?
Or
Non-In-Person-Court-Attendance-Options?
Or
Electronic Based Court Assistance?
Your tax dollars, not at work.
7 comments:
It is located under Court Divisions - Criminal. It is a blue-colored box right at the top. Not sure how much more obvious we can make it.
what website? Where? I cannot find it. Go on the clerk's web site or the 11th circuit and search for zoom and see what comes up. Nothing helpful
You have to look hard to find it. But it is there on the 11th Judicial Circuit website. Click on Court Divisions. Then click on Criminal. Then look for 2021 Virtual Courtrooms and right below it in blue is 2021 Circuit Criminal Virtual Courtroom Directory which you click on.
jud11.flcourts.org
No Miguel, NOTHING IS OBVIOUS. Right from the beginning we have gone crazy trying to find zoom codes for stuff.
Why is this not front and center on the judges website?
Questions I never asked at the start of private practice and feel dumb asking now:
1. What do you do after you get a client into drug court? He gets court noticed about once a month. If you show up, you do nothing. The DC personnel give whatever news, good or bad, the judge does whatever, and you sit there. Because urine testing needs to be done, and results waited for, its usually a good 45 minutes. I suspect many lawyers simply don't show up. What do you do? And do you charge the client much more if you get Drug Court because now youre on the hook for a dozen court appearances? I almost feel that the lawyer should be withdrawn upon acceptance of that program.
2. How do you respond to notices from the court about a new probation violation for an old client? Presume you no longer have a good phone number for that client, or they are incarcerated. Do you show up to the date, even though you have not been retained on the new violation? Or blow it off?
3. What's the truth of how you handle the immigration questions prior to a plea colloquy? Few of us are immigration attorneys and few clients can afford a separate immigration attorney. The de facto answer seems to be, "If you lack status any guilty plea, even a with hold, COULD result in deportation." Yet some judges hammer this hard and say "knowing it will result in your deportation" and the client freaks out. I had a judge recently say, "would you accept this plea if it results in you being deported tomorrow?"
I fear what most lawyers do is just say, "nobody knows, you should be good, go ahead and just answer yes", but this seems like a shitty avoidance of the issue. The proper wording of the colloquy essentially demands that a conscientious defense attorney give a detailed assessment of immigration risk, which very few of us are equipped to do. I think the whole system is just covering its ass and everyone knows that defendants arent being advised.
Only has the circuit how about county courts?
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