Unfortunately, the Bar didn’t give the public much notice or time to act. If you don’t want the Florida Supreme Court to pass the Florida Bar’s new rule violating the rights of citizen journalists, by the end of the day on Feb. 1, 2011, send an email to katherine.giddings@akerman.com and jjenning@flabar.org with a subject stating, “Objection to Proposed Rule 2.451″ and with the body stating, “I oppose the provisions of proposed Fla. R. Jud. Admin 2.451 which limit the rights of citizen journalists to record court proceedings.”
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Attorneys Attack Rights of Citizen Journalists
Written by markadamsjdmba
The Florida Bar has proposed a new rule to eliminate coverage of court proceedings by citizen journalists. The Bar’s proposed rule prohibits anyone other than an employee of a traditional media outlet or an official court reporter from using any device which can make video or audio recording from being brought into a court including laptop computers.Of course, the proposed rule allows the courts to continue to record you, but unfortunately, the courts usually don’t want to give up their own recordings without a fight even though they are required to do so.
Ironically, not long ago, the Florida Supreme Court celebrated its longstanding rule upholding the First and Sixth Amendment rights to public trials by requiring courts to allow video and audio recording of court proceedings. In an article about this, the Justices noted that allowing cameras in courts had not caused a single problem. An article about this was available on the Florida Bar Journal’s web site at this link until recently. Try the link. Maybe the Bar’s web site was down or maybe it is just blocking me. Anyway, due to the fact that the Florida Bar Journal is a government publication and due the Fair Use doctrine, I have posted a copy of this article on Scribd.
Naturally, the Bar decided to try to fool everyone, including the Justices of the Florida Supreme Court, by disguising its proposed rule as one prohibiting electronic recording by jurors. However, the Bar’s proposed rule allows judges to prohibit everyone other than employees of the traditional news media and official court reporters from recording proceedings.
As usual, the people who control the Florida Bar didn’t bother to consider any case law before trying to create a lower class of journalists. If they had bothered to look anything up (assuming that they are actually attempting to uphold the law), they would have found that the Florida Supreme Court previously held:
“Freedom of the press is not, and has never been a private property right granted to those who own the news media. It is a cherished and almost sacred right of each citizen to be informed about current events on a timely basis so each can exercise his discretion in determining the destiny and security of himself, other people, and the Nation. News delayed is news denied. To be useful to the public, news events must be reported when they occur. Whatever happens in any courtroom directly or indirectly affects all the public. To prevent star-chamber injustice the public should generally have unrestricted access to all proceedings.”
State ex rel. Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. McIntosh, 340 So.2d 904, 910 (Fla. 1977).
Amazingly, in spite of the current rule requiring judges to allow citizen journalists to cover court proceedings, many judges refuse to abide by that rule. Apparently, many judges and attorneys don’t want to the public to know what is going on in the courts, and some judges will even prohibit reporters from traditional news media from covering proceedings in their courtrooms. It looks like that the attorneys who run the Bar don’t want anyone to realize that some judges will give homes to banks without even hearing any defenses even thought that is a criminal violation of due process. Imagine if there had been a video of this hearing available for people to see.
The Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme recently had to remind Florida’s judges that court proceedings are supposed to be open to the public and the press. An article about the Chief Justice’s action was available on the Florida Bar Journal’s web site at this link until recently. Due to the fact that the Florida Bar Journal is a government publication and the Fair Use doctrine, I have posted a copy of this article on Scribd.
Unfortunately, the Bar didn’t give the public much notice or time to act. If you don’t want the Florida Supreme Court to pass the Florida Bar’s new rule violating the rights of citizen journalists, by the end of the day on Feb. 1, 2001, send an email to katherine.giddings@akerman.com and jjenning@flabar.org with a subject stating, “Objection to Proposed Rule 2.451″ and with the body stating, “I oppose the provisions of proposed Fla. R. Jud. Admin 2.451 which limit the rights of citizen journalists to record court proceedings.”
Notice: You may copy and post this article on other web sites if you include a link to the original article.
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4closureFraud.org
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Rule 2.451 Use of Electronic Devices
What’s with this rule and law changes? The banks make their own rules, laws, regulations and even push fraud in the faces of millions…the government agrees with it all and even rewards the banks with trillions….without even a speech..nothing as if we are air…Well, I guess air may have been a problem with the government…and still is…..than we have to deal with Judges who are in left field approving fraud…in a Court of Justice…and now the Fl. Bar wants to add to it. Is there anybody else left that needs to come forth and request a change? They better do it now while they got the chance. Then when all is said and done…it will be the millions in America to stand and demand changes, demand the Laws of the Land be respected, and indictments issued with speed. The same speed the Rocket Docket uses..with a rubber stamp of guilty…is that not fair?
Something has to be done soon as this has gone on long enough…it is like a free-for-all…and the victims are watching the side show.
Like in Egypt and Tunisia, the victims of abuse far out number the ruling elite. If people knew how much injustice was being done, how homes and even children are being stolen every day, the people would take to the streets and demand change. That is why the Bar took action. To keep the truth from going viral. To keep them and their masters in control.
You said the exact words that I was just going to add to my comment. And they have that right…even Obama told Egypt to let them protest..that is their right. …the world is now waking up as to who their real enemies are…not the country clear across the globe…Sure the Bar wants it all to be kept under the covers…but that comes from the government. Just as the media can only print ‘what is allowed’. Correct me if I am wrong…in the past years since the hot air balloon burst…has anyone in Washington ever given a speech on the foreclosure issue..that was on TV? A speech to the American people…to explain anything besides the trillions they so freely rushed to the banks pockets? I find it rather odd that speeches are given on other countries who are having their own issues..but I have not heard any on this country and the devastation of America. All area’s of the government have completly ignored what the citizens are screaming…that say’s it all. Obama rushed to call Egypt during their protest…but has he or anyone in the government rushed to the citizens here? NO…and they didn’t plan to or they would have done it before now. So I Vent may be onto something.
So, if the courts create a rule (law) that applies to the people who want to use/view their services, and that new rule/law is unconstitutional, to whom do you appeal? Isn’t that precisely why we have separation of powers?
What a concentration camp…
Debt slavery is still slavery. Wasn’t that abolished over 100 years ago?
Welcome to the new plantation….
Followed your subject line and body, but couldn’t resist adding a few lines of my own along the lines of “fat cat foreclosure mill lobbyists,” “banana republic” and “for shame”. Hope my 2 cents helps.
Like the prosecutors who will not prosecute and the regulators who will not regulate, the regulators with the Bar want to do whatever they can get away with to help the banksters rob and steal from every American and to cover up the widespread corruption and injustice in the courts.
The banksters ARE NOT robbing the houses, the Government is FORCING the banks to do this. The Banks have been CALLING OUT Washington for a long time by PRESENTING BLATANT FRAUD ON THE COURTS, ABANDONING HOMES, NOT GIVING LOAN MODS FOR A REASON. There were no loan mods because the Banks knew our houses were paid for via them for a nominal fee at ORIGINATION so that we may ALL participate and GAIN WEALTH in the BIGGEST PONZI SCHEME IN HISTORY. The banks sold us our homes for a song as part of the “Secret Deal” so we could PARTICIPATE IN THE FREE MARKET CAPITALIST SYSTEM AND GAIN WEALTH. The top 1% are greedy though and want to STEAL OUR HOMES after THEY STOLE ALL OF OUR WEALTH IN THE INTENTIONAL COLLAPSE OF THE STOCK MARKET IN ’08. You may go to you tube and google CNBC ILLUMINATI to hear the truth. THE GOVERNMENT IS THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK. Who are the people who told the Banks EVERYONE GETS A HO– USE WHETHER THEY CAN AFFORD ONE OR NOT? THE GOVERNMENT, NOT THE BANKS. The facts DO NOT LIE. The FBI warned the Government in 2008 this was coming and THE GOVERNMENT DID NOTHING. I would like to thank the BANKS for selling me my home for a great deal. THAT WAS VERY AMERICAN OF THEM. Our own Government on the other hand are NOT ACTING VERY PATRIOTIC towards their own people. Now that is Unamerican.
I misspoke about the timeline of the FBI. THE FBI WARNED OUR GOVERNMENT IN 2004 THAT A FINANCIAL COLLAPSE WOULD BE IMMINENT BECA– USE OF ALL OF THE BLEEPING MORTGAGE FRAUD.
I couldn’t get through on the Katherine Giddings address – the other seems to be good.
This has to b stopped now. What else are they going to try to take from us ??? This has turned into an issue of RIGHTS. Our courts have already been perpetrated by perps and now we can’t show the world!? Ridiculous to say the very least. Are we really still in America???? Lord help us all!! Deb