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19 verbatim requirements from the procedure documents published under "CR-C Judge Jonathan D. Sacks".
Fourth Judicial Circuit, Duval County. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Verbatim from the documents linked under "CR-C Judge Jonathan D. Sacks" on https://www.jud4.org/ex-parte-dates-judge-s-procedures/duval-judges, harvested 2026-07-25; whitespace normalised only. • All attorneys shall be available and prepared to handle their assigned cases. • You may not request the defendant and have him/her placed in the holding cell, while you await the arrival of opposing counsel. • There shall be NO TALKING in the courtroom while courtroom proceedings are in progress unless a recess has been called. • Conversations between or amongst attorneys and/or defendants and victims must be conducted outside of the courtroom to minimize noise and maintain the required decorum. • Conversations with defendants, if detained, must have occurred prior to the defendant being brought to the courtroom, unless specifically authorized otherwise by the Court. -- 1 of 4 -- 2 • Defense counsel shall not waive the presence of any in-custody defendant who has been transported to the courthouse from the jail without prior approval of the Court or absent good cause. • Any waivers of appearance of the defendant shall be in writing and filed with the clerk. • However, there shall be no waiver of the defendant’s appearance at the Final • Side Bar conference during morning docket are discouraged and shall be kept to a minimum – i.e., for the following type of issues: a) Defendant’s cooperation with law enforcement/SAO; b) Defendant’s mental or physical health matters; c) Scheduling conflicts due to personal reasons of counsel. • At Arraignment, the State shall be prepared to advise the Court of the following: a) the Defendant’s sentencing guidelines; b) the State offer, if one is to be made; c) the speedy trial date; and d) whether discovery has already been provide, and if not, the reason why it has not already been provided. • After Arraignment, the Court shall pass the case for a Pre-Trial (PT) Conference, approximately 3-4 weeks, at that first PT Conference, parties shall provide a deposition schedule for the case. • A Final Pre-Trial (FPT) Conference shall be scheduled in each case which has been scheduled for jury selection. • FPTs shall be the week prior to jury selection, i.e. the Wednesday before the Monday jury selection. • At the Final Pre-Trial Conference, the Defendant shall be present (there shall be no waiver of the Defendant’s appearance at the FPT), as well as the attorney(s) who are to try the case. • Counsel for each party shall be prepared to report on the following: a) whether each party is ready for trial; b) any state offers made, and rejected by the Defendant; c) any defense counteroffers made, and rejected by the State; d) the number of jury panelists needed for jury selection; e) the number of peremptory strikes allotted to each side; f) the estimated length of the total trial; g) any date/time restrictions in scheduling due to witnesses or attorneys; h) whether an interpreter or any other accommodation will be necessary; and i) whether there are any outstanding motions, late disclosed witnesses or evidence requiring a Richardson hearing. • In the event of the entry of a Plea by a defendant, either to a negotiated disposition or straight up/open plea to the Court, the State shall be prepared to report on the following, if asked to do so by the Court: a) any minimum and maximum sentences, as charged in the Information; and b) the factual basis for the plea. • In the event a negotiated sentence includes a deferred sentence imposition date or a furlough, such an agreement shall be first cleared with the Court. -- 3 of 4 -- 4 • If an attorney wishes to add, remove or pass a case to another scheduled date, that attorney shall consult with opposing counsel about same, and if agreed to by both parties, shall then notify the Court’s judicial assistant VIA EMAIL at LMason1@coj.net (cc’ing opposing counsel) NO LATER THAN 2:45 P.M. • If an attorney wishes to effectuate an “in court add-on” of another case not on the docket, the attorney shall notify the Deputy Clerk of the Court before the Judge takes the bench or prior to the case being called, so as to allow sufficient time for the necessary paperwork to be prepared by the clerk. “In court add-ons” should not occur with frequency and shall be kept to a minimum. -- 4 of 4 --
All attorneys shall be available and prepared to handle their assigned cases.
Reviewer note: Page sha256: a8e70ab94dc6af2d448a0aced7dd9edd3f06b98067c2c2d2a2cad89942b6704f. Requirements taken from the judge's own procedure documents' text layers.
Judge Bell caps motions and responses at 5 pages for UMC hearings and 12 pages for special-set hearings.
Judge Alijewicz requires every motion for attorney's fees and/or costs to attach a document detailing time records — no records, no fee award.
Judge Corlew bars informal contact: every communication with the Court must be in writing, filed with the Clerk, with copies furnished to all parties — and no calls to the JA to schedule or cancel UMC.