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26 verbatim requirements from 20252108112806_Judge-Patterson-s-Judicial-Practices-Procedures.
Fourteenth Judicial Circuit (Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Washington). Procedural information only; not legal advice.
• All communications with the judicial office must comply with Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications and from considering other communications outside the presence of the parties concerning a pending or impending proceeding, unless authorized by law. All parties must be copied on any e-mail directed to the judicial office, unless an ex parte communication is authorized by law. C. Unsolicited Communication • All attorneys and self-represented litigants must make and receive service by e-mail, which is generally through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, unless excused. Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516. • All attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an e- mail address to receive signed orders electronically, unless excused. Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516. It is the responsibility of attorneys and self-represented litigants to update their contact information through the Clerk’s office using Form 2.603 any time there is a change in the e-mail account registered for electronic service. E. Response to Inquiries • The judicial assistant will send an e-mail confirming the date and time of the hearing. Do not file notices of hearing before receiving the confirmation e-mail from the judicial assistant. • Only e-mail the judicial assistant to request dates and to confirm the final date. Do not include the judicial assistant in e-mail chains between counsel/staff relative to dates when each, or the other, are available. C. Notice of Hearing • The court must receive all materials for the hearing no later than three (3) business days before the hearing. E. Order of Proceedings • Motions for continuance must be submitted at least three (3) business days prior to the scheduled court date for which the continuance is sought, barring exigent circumstances. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e). • Motions for continuance are disfavored and will be granted only upon good cause shown. Successive continuances are highly disfavored. Lack of due diligence is not grounds for granting a continuance. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e). • Motions for continuance must state with specificity: (1) the basis of the need for the continuance, including when the basis became known to the movant; (2) whether the motion is opposed; (3) the action and specific dates for the action that will enable the movant to be ready, including, but not limited to, confirming the specific date any required participants are available; and (4) the proposed date by which the case will be ready to proceed and whether that date is agreed by all parties. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e). G. Cancelling Hearings • Notify the judicial assistant by e-mail of all hearing cancellations and trial settlements as promptly as possible. You must also immediately file and serve a notice of cancellation on opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant. • Parties may not cancel a trial without first having filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal. An Order of Dismissal must be provided to the Court. III. Remote Appearance A. Remote Appearance Procedure • Requests for an in-person hearing must be made at the time of coordinating the hearing. • Any objection to the use of remote appearance must be filed no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the hearing. B. Remote Platform Information • If a witness appears remotely, the party calling the witness must ensure the witness has a functioning camera and microphone and has tested the internet connection before the hearing. The oath will be administered in accordance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.530. D. Technology Needs • All participants in a remote hearing must have a stable internet connection and a charged device with video, sound, and microphone capabilities. • The proposed order must be submitted through the e-portal, using the “Submit Proposed Order(s) to Judiciary (Court)” option on the e-filing map page. • Proposed orders must be submitted no later than fourteen (14) days after any hearing. V. Exhibits for In-Person Evidentiary Proceedings A. Format and Submission Method • Exhibits must be labeled in the following format: “Petitioner/Plaintiff 1” or “Respondent/Defendant A”). • All attorneys and self-represented litigants must bring sufficient copies of each exhibit for the clerk, the court, and each party to review during the hearing or trial. VI. Exhibits for Remote Evidentiary Proceedings, Courtesy Copies of Case Law, and Other Documents A. When Required • Courtesy copies of case law must be submitted to the court at least three (3) days prior to any hearing or trial. • Do not send courtesy copies of documents that have been filed in the court file. B. Format and Submission Method • Physical Copy a. If you do not have access to a computer, mail any exhibits to the party/counsel at the address of record and to Judge Patterson’s office at P.O. Box 976, Marianna, FL 32447, at least seven (7) days prior to the hearing. b. Exhibits must be clearly labeled. VII. Emergency and Other Urgent Matters A. Requirements • If a party believes there is a factual basis for setting an emergency hearing, a detailed motion setting forth the following must be filed: (1) the issues to be resolved, (2) reasons why an emergency hearing is necessary, and (3) the amount of time needed for each party’s presentation. B. Scheduling • Before filing any motion, except as noted in Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.202, the moving party shall confer with counsel for the opposing party in a good faith effort to resolve the issues raised by the motion, and the motion shall contain a statement certifying that the moving party has conferred with opposing counsel and that counsel have been unable to agree on the resolution of the motion (the “Certificate”). • The certificate shall set forth the date of the conference, the names of the participating attorneys, and the specific results achieved. It shall be the responsibility of counsel for the movant to arrange for the conference. Counsel are expected to respond promptly to inquiries and communication from opposing counsel. Repeated failure or refusal of a party or attorney to so confer should be set out with specificity in the certificate. • No conference, therefore, no certificate, is required for appropriate ex-parte motions, uncontested motions, judgment on the pleadings, summary judgment, or other dispositive motions.
All communications with the judicial office must comply with Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications and from considering other communications outside the presence of the parties concerning a pending or impending proceeding, unless authorized by law. All parties must be copied on any e-mail directed to the judicial office, unless an ex parte communication is authorized by law. C. Unsolicited Communication
Reviewer note: PDF sha256: 95f459e21477eb2f156c60f1abca85bab8c815e307bd6b33349a6e21ef5b438b. Read from the ORDERED section as numbered paragraphs. 12 paragraph(s) withheld as too scan-damaged to quote. Text layer cleaned 2026-09-08 (Phase 3e): running page headers/footers removed; wording untouched. Verbatim from the operative section of https://jud14.flcourts.org/uploaded/20252108112806_Judge-Patterson-s-Judicial-Practices-Procedures.pdf, harvested 2026-08-02; whitespace normalised only. [moved from the text 2026-09-14]
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.