State Courts Governance

Role of Court Councils, Commissions, and Committees

The State Courts System is administered by the chief justice and the Florida Supreme Court, but the governance and policy development of the judicial branch is typically a collaborative effort. The supreme court utilizes a variety of councils, commissions, and committees to inform and develop judicial branch policies affecting the administration of justice. The committee process allows the branch to benefit from the knowledge, expertise, and wisdom of judges, practitioners, court staff, and topical experts.

To direct the work of committees, the chief justice issues administrative orders that detail the specific issues that committees are to address, the membership of the committees, their authority to propose rule or statutory amendments, and the time the committee has to fulfill its charges. With this guidance, the committees work through the issues detailed in their administrative orders and ultimately make recommendations for consideration by the supreme court.

The current court committee structure involves five committee types: 

• Council
• Commission
• Steering Committee
• Work Group or Task Force
• Other Committees

Council

A council is responsible for addressing judicial administration issues that have statewide impact, affect multiple levels of the state courts system, or affect multiple constituencies in the court community. Council membership includes internal and external representation.

Commission

A commission addresses high-level policy issues that span divisions or levels of the state courts system. Membership of court commissions primarily consists of judicial officers and court personnel.

Steering Committee

A steering committee represents the interests of a particular court division, such as family law, probate, criminal, etc. Steering committees suggest standards, recommend best practices, and conduct court improvement initiatives. Steering committees also respond when new legislation, case law, federal guidelines, and other changes may affect their court division.

Work Group or Task Force

A work group or task force is an ad hoc group appointed for a specific period of time to address a specific issue or narrow topic. Work groups and task forces conduct studies, prepare reports, and take other appropriate action as directed by the chief justice.

Other Committees

This group encompasses other committees required by supreme court opinion, statutory provisions, or other requirements and that should, by reason of their regulatory or other responsibilities, operate more independently from court oversight.

Current Committees

For information about current court committees, committee reports, and related information, please search for any of the five committee types listed above.

Staff of the Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA) provide professional and administrative support to court committees, so additional information about committees can also be found on the pages of OSCA units.