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28 verbatim requirements from administrative order 2008-01-02 - Amended Administrative Order Establishing The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court Interpreter Policy.
9th Judicial Circuit. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Verbatim from https://ninthcircuit.org/sites/default/files/2008-01-02%20-%20Amended%20Order%20Establishing%20Court%20Interpreter%20Policy.pdf, harvested 2026-07-25; whitespace normalised only. • WHEREAS, pursuant to the chief judge’s constitutional and statutory responsibility for administrative supervision of the courts within the circuit and to create and maintain an organization capable of effecting the efficient, prompt, and proper administration of justice for the citizens of this State, the chief judge is required to exercise direction, see Fla. • For purposes of this Order, in an effort to maintain the smooth and efficient operation of the Court and safeguard limited financial resources, an LLD -- 1 of 5 -- 2 shall include all languages other than Spanish and Creole; and • LLDs and making provisions for other intensive coverage trials and proceedings, such as but not limited to: travel arrangements, the standard cancellation policy that binds the Circuit to pay an interpreter whenever hired and the trial does not go forward, and the requirement that all trials must have the assistance of two interpreters due to the fatigue factor which affects accuracy; and • Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida under Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.215, hereby order that that all judges, judicial assistants, trial clerks, and attorneys appearing in this Court, as well as Court Administration, shall abide by the following, effective immediately and to continue until further order: -- 2 of 5 -- 3 • Interpreter services shall be utilized for individuals appearing before the court in Criminal Divisions of the Circuit, County, and Juvenile Court, as well as • Spoken language interpreter services shall not be used to cover mediations, depositions, or for persons summoned for jury service. • If the services of an interpreter are needed at a court proceeding, the attorney, or opposing counsel, must so inform the judicial assistant when scheduling the proceeding or as soon as the need for interpreter services is identified. • The judicial assistant must submit the requesting form to the Court Interpreter • Trial clerks or court staff should make same day requests by telephone at 407-836-2399, which shall be covered whenever possible, depending on interpreter availability. • Trials requiring interpreter services shall be coordinated with the • Due to the enormous costs involved with hiring interpreters for these matters, cases requiring LLD interpreters, as defined herein, shall comply with the following procedures: a. • The Defendant’s Attorney must certify that he has met with the defendant and shall notify the court within forty-five (45) days of filing a Notice of Appearance that the case requires an LLD interpreter to move forward with the case. b. • Judges, prior to ordering the services of an interpreter for trial, shall set a status conference to determine whether all the appropriate steps have been taken to resolve the case by plea or other means. -- 3 of 5 -- 4 • The presiding judge shall call cases involving the use of interpreters before other matters, but shall not be required to interrupt a proceeding that has already begun. • Interpreters shall move to their next assignment if the presiding judge does not utilize the interpreter’s services within fifteen (15) minutes of their arrival, or the conclusion of the immediate case before the court, whichever occurs first. • When interpreters are requested for a general trial call, only one interpreter shall be present to assist with possible pleas or negotiations. • Every effort shall be made to minimize the length of time the interpreter must remain in any courtroom. • In the event of a conflict concerning the severity of the offense, the chief judge or his designee shall decide which case will be given precedence. • Court interpreters shall not be required to sit in the jury box with a defendant and shall not accompany an attorney into a holding cell to conduct “in-custody” client interviews, except where a unique circumstance occurs which requires the court to proceed to a holding cell to advise a defendant of certain consequences of his actions where a defendant refuses to leave a holding cell. b. • This shall only occur under unique circumstances as the presiding judge may deem necessary. • Interpreters may sight translate brief court documents during a court proceeding, but shall not explain court documents, procedures, or otherwise communicate with litigants outside of the court proceeding. • If foreign language audio or video recordings are to be used as evidence in a trial or hearing, the party offering the tape shall transcribe and translate the recording into English at their own expense, or as provided for indigent criminal defendants, and shall provide in advance a copy of the recording, foreign language transcript, and transcript of the English translation to opposing counsel and the court. • The court interpreter shall not interpret audio or video recordings during court proceedings. -- 4 of 5 -- 5 • The manager of the Court Interpreter Department must approve all individual or agency contracts. • Every effort must be made to obtain the most qualified interpreter for each court proceeding. • Staff and freelance interpreters shall provide their services remotely whenever possible. • The use of telephonic phone interpreting companies, such as LanguageLine Solutions, shall only be used for last-minute proceedings for languages other than Spanish. • The use of headsets and wireless microphones shall be used in all venues wherever possible.
WHEREAS, pursuant to the chief judge’s constitutional and statutory responsibility for administrative supervision of the courts within the circuit and to create and maintain an organization capable of effecting the efficient, prompt, and proper administration of justice for the citizens of this State, the chief judge is required to exercise direction, see Fla.
Reviewer note: Order PDF sha256: 3caca93233828299cf2be5ba9b70196970dd8f2b49d820d626d595822595174d. Extracted from the order's own text layer.
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.