In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, and the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure—2020 Joint Fast-Track Report

Supreme Court of Florida·Decided March 4, 2021·No. SC20-873·Published

Opinion

Supreme Court of Florida

No. SC20-873

IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION 2.420, THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUVENILE PROCEDURE, AND THE FLORIDA RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE—2020 JOINT FAST-TRACK REPORT.

March 4, 2021

PER CURIAM.

This matter is before the Court for consideration of further amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, and the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. 1 Previously in this case, The Florida Bar’s Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (RJA Committee) and Juvenile Court Rules Committee (JCR Committee) filed a joint “fast-track” report proposing amendments to the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration and Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure in response to recent legislation. See Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.140(e). The Court adopted the proposed amendments with minor modifications, and on our own motion, we amended a

1. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure to conform with a proposed amendment to a Rule of Juvenile Procedure. In re Amendments to Fla. Rule of Jud. Admin. 2.420, Fla. Rules of Juv. Pro., & Fla. Rule of App. Pro. Form 9.900(f)—2020 Joint Fast- Track Report, 302 So. 3d 746 (Fla. 2020).

Because the amendments were not published for comment prior to their adoption, interested parties were permitted to file comments with the Court after their adoption. Five comments were received. Thereafter, both the RJA Committee and the JCR Committee filed responses to the comments. Upon consideration of the comments and responses, the Court now further amends the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure and Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure as discussed below.

BACKGROUND

In the July 2, 2020, opinion in this case, the Court amended Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 (Public Access to and Protection of Judicial Branch Records); Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure 8.805 (Commencement of Proceedings), 8.810 (Petition), 8.815 (Counsel), 8.820 (Hearing), 8.830 (Transcripts), and 8.835 (Confidentiality of Records); and Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure Forms 8.987 (Petition for Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notification of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy), 8.988 (Sworn Statement of True Name and Pseudonym), 8.990 (Final Order Granting Petition for

Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notice of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy), 8.991 (Final Order Dismissing Petition for Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notice of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy), and 8.992 (Minor’s Petition to Chief Judge to Require a Hearing on Her Petition for Judicial Waiver of Consent or Notice and Consent). These amendments were in response to legislative changes to section 390.01114, Florida Statutes (2019), which as amended in 2020 requires parental consent to the termination of pregnancy procedure performed on a minor, and the creation of section 390.01118, Florida Statutes (2020), which made any information held by a circuit or appellate court that could be used to identify a minor who petitions the court for a waiver of parental notice or consent for termination of pregnancy confidential and exempt from the public’s right to access under article I, section 24(a) of the Florida Constitution. Additionally, on our own motion, the Court amended Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure Form 9.900(f) (Notice of Appeal of an Order Dismissing a Petition for a Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notice of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy and Advisory Notice to Minor) for consistency with the amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure and section 390.01114.

The amendments became effective immediately upon the release of the July 2, 2020, opinion. However, interested persons were given an opportunity to file comments with the Court after the amendments were adopted. Four comments

contend that the amended rules and forms are confusing because they imply that a minor may seek waiver of and that a court may waive notice, consent, or both, whereas section 390.01114 provides for a collective waiver of both notice and consent only. Thus, these four commenters urge the Court to amend the relevant rules and forms to reflect that only a collective waiver of notice and consent may be sought. The fifth comment, filed by the Appellate Court Rules Committee (ACR Committee), recommends amendments so that the language used in the rules and forms is consistent with section 390.01114. Specifically, the ACR Committee suggests that the title of the petition throughout the juvenile and appellate rules be “Petition for Judicial Waiver of Parental Notice of and Consent for Termination of Pregnancy.” Additionally, the ACR Committee requests that the Court consider amendments to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.147(a)–(c), which addresses appellate proceedings for reviewing final orders dismissing petitions for judicial waivers, and rule 9.300(d)(11), which provides that motions filed relating to proceedings under rule 9.147 do not toll time, that are consistent with the July 2, 2020, amendments, so that references to the judicial waiver petition will be consistent across all rule sets.

Both the RJA Committee and JCR Committee filed responses to the comments. The RJA Committee declined to propose further amendments to Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420(d)(1)(B)(vii). The JCR Committee declined to

propose amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure to reflect that only a waiver of notice and consent may be sought, because it can envision a scenario where a minor seeks only a waiver of parental consent after a parent is notified by the physician but denies consent. However, it did agree that the rules and forms could be clearer and more concise. Thus, the JCR Committee proposes further amendments to Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure 8.805 (Commencement of Proceedings), 8.810 (Petition), 8.820 (Hearing), and 8.835 (Confidentiality of Records), and forms 8.987 (Petition for Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notification of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy), 8.988 (Sworn Statement of True Name and Pseudonym), 8.990 (Final Order Granting Petition for Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notice of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy), 8.991 (Final Order Dismissing Petition for Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notice of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy), and 8.992 (Minor’s Petition to Chief Judge to Require a Hearing on Her Petition for Judicial Waiver of Consent or Notice and Consent). The proposed amendments delete language regarding judicial waiver of notice only and clearly distinguish between seeking a waiver of notice and consent and consent only. The Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar unanimously approved the JCR Committee’s proposals.

Upon consideration of the comments and the committees’ responses to the comments, we adopt the additional amendments as proposed by the JCR Committee, with modifications. Additionally, we amend Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure 9.147(a)–(c) and 9.300(d)(11) and form 9.900(f) (Notice of Appeal of an Order Dismissing a Petition for a Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent to or Notice of and Consent to Termination of Pregnancy and Advisory Notice to Minor) for consistency with the amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure. The more significant amendments are discussed below.

AMENDMENTS

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In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, and the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure—2020 Joint Fast-Track Report, (Fla. 2021).

In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, and the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure—2020 Joint Fast-Track Report (In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, and the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure—2020 Joint Fast-Track Report) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.