The CBA is urging Senator Marco Rubio and the remaining members of the Senate to proceed with all deliberate speed to consider and vote upon pending nominees to fill the judicial vacancies in the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.
Florida’s Federal trial courts are in a state of crisis because of an overwhelming number of judicial vacancies. To date, there are four vacancies in Florida’s Federal trial courts and two additional vacancies projected by the end of the year.
The seat to which Judge Brian Davis has been nominated has been vacant for over 612 days and his nomination has been pending for over 16 months. The seat to which Judge William Thomas has been nominated has been vacant for over 570 days and his nomination has been pending for over 10 months.
No explanation has been offered to the community for the delay in bringing these candidates up for a vote before the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate.
“Our community cannot afford continued unexplained delays in the confirmation of judicial nominees,” the CBA said in a statement this week. “ Based upon the high number of weighted filings per judge, the nonpartisan Administrative Office of the United States Courts has declared judicial emergencies in both the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. This state of emergency in the judiciary has real consequences for our local communities. As caseloads increase, judges must delay action on civil cases in order to ensure that criminal cases are resolved in the time required by law. As a result, businesses seeking to enforce contracts and individuals seeking redress for claim of discrimination see justice delayed or even denied as their cases linger on overloaded dockets.”
The Caribbean Bar Association, formed in 1994, represents over 200 attorneys from the Caribbean-American community in Central and South Florida. In addition to serving the professional needs of its attorney members, the CBA strives to inform, educate, and empower all members of Florida’s Caribbean-American Community and serves as a bridge between law, politics, and community issues.
