Chief Justice lifts restrictions to courthouse entry, maintains precautions during court proceedings

Chief Justice Charles Canady today amended orders issued during the pandemic to end restrictions to enter and move through public parts of courthouses throughout the state.  The amended orders keep in place mask and distancing requirements during in-person courtroom proceedings only.

“As you know, for more than a year we have taken steps to safely operate the judicial branch using safeguards dictated by changing health conditions and evolving best practices,” Chief Justice Canady said.  “The changes I make today reflect the current state of the pandemic while maintaining appropriate safeguards as we move toward the time when all Floridians eligible for vaccination will have had the opportunity to become fully vaccinated.”

The orders amended today govern health and safety precautions, emergency measures for trial courts, and emergency measures for appellate courts. 

More than a year ago, most in-person court events were suspended. 

“Beyond the changes that I am now making that affect courthouse operations outside of in-person court proceedings, I expect that in the not-too-distant future modifications of the protocols now in place for in-person court proceedings will be adopted so that we can move our court rooms back to more normal operations,” Canady said. 

All state court coronavirus emergency orders and advisories are linked on the Florida Supreme Court’s website: https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Emergency