We received these two comments and are posting both in their entirety.
The Judge goes first:
Good evening!
Zoom is indeed available in my courtroom! It simply is not available for trial setting and evidentiary hearings. Pop in for arraignments tomorrow and you can see for yourself.
I hope this clarifies things. I am simply trying to follow the law on in-person trials and eliminate the Zoom information on trial notices, which is terribly confusing for all parties involved.
Feel free to come by Chambers for coffee to discuss anytime. Seriously. I am not above receiving constructive criticism. I welcome feedback and hope to continue to serve the community to their satisfaction and in accordance with the law.
If you wish to send me feedback anonymously or otherwise, I also monitor my judicial email regularly.
Best,
Judge Bach Armas
Zoom is indeed available in my courtroom! It simply is not available for trial setting and evidentiary hearings. Pop in for arraignments tomorrow and you can see for yourself.
I hope this clarifies things. I am simply trying to follow the law on in-person trials and eliminate the Zoom information on trial notices, which is terribly confusing for all parties involved.
Feel free to come by Chambers for coffee to discuss anytime. Seriously. I am not above receiving constructive criticism. I welcome feedback and hope to continue to serve the community to their satisfaction and in accordance with the law.
If you wish to send me feedback anonymously or otherwise, I also monitor my judicial email regularly.
Best,
Judge Bach Armas
Thursday, January 22, 2026 6:27:53 PM
Rumpy:
This matter is a bit more nuanced than you may know. Judge Bach does not seem to want to eliminate Zoom for those 10-second hearings that do not need one’s physical presence. He seems to want to avoid the prosecution from announcing READY for trial when they really aren’t.
The rules of criminal procedure, as you have noted, are clear. We just need to file a pleading that requests Zoom hearings where appropriate. I have been filing such requests since the day that rule was passed by Florida’s Supreme Court.
While I would not be so formal in my requirements if I were a judge, I am not the judge, he is. And that position gives him the power to run his courtroom as he chooses, as long as it is within the law.
The law says that you need to request a Zoom hearing; he is asking that you do that. That probably isn’t too much to ask (that we follow the law).
Let’s see how this all plays out. If, down the road, his policies are not to your liking, you can always run against him, or support someone who will do so. In the meantime, perhaps your favorite saying should apply to us defense attorneys: ‘Lighten up, Francis.”
This matter is a bit more nuanced than you may know. Judge Bach does not seem to want to eliminate Zoom for those 10-second hearings that do not need one’s physical presence. He seems to want to avoid the prosecution from announcing READY for trial when they really aren’t.
The rules of criminal procedure, as you have noted, are clear. We just need to file a pleading that requests Zoom hearings where appropriate. I have been filing such requests since the day that rule was passed by Florida’s Supreme Court.
While I would not be so formal in my requirements if I were a judge, I am not the judge, he is. And that position gives him the power to run his courtroom as he chooses, as long as it is within the law.
The law says that you need to request a Zoom hearing; he is asking that you do that. That probably isn’t too much to ask (that we follow the law).
Let’s see how this all plays out. If, down the road, his policies are not to your liking, you can always run against him, or support someone who will do so. In the meantime, perhaps your favorite saying should apply to us defense attorneys: ‘Lighten up, Francis.”
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 8:48:38 PM
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