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Com ttee Preference Forms Duean uaryl 4 Page 3
Coxe named president-elect
Tile best way to accomplish that, lie
added, is by ensuring for generations to
come that the judiciary remains an inde-
pendent third branch of government, that
judges can make decisions independent of
public opinion and media judges and the
other two branches of government, just as
the other two branches of government
should be able to operate constitutionaly
independently of the judiciary.
To some extent, that involves bucking
some current trends. I marvel at the extent
we go to teach our children about the impor-
tance of the three branches of government
and in reality so many adults can ignore it
when it suits their purpose. Coxe said.
Coxe said he is gratified by people who
See Coxe, page 24
By Gary Blankenship
Senior Editor
Veteran Board of Governors member
Henry M. Coxe III has become president-
elect designate of The Florida Bar.
Coxe filed unopposed to be president-
elect for 2005-06. Filing closed December 15.
Coxe will be sworn in at the June Annual
Meeting in Orlando as president-elect when
current President-elect Alan Bookman is
sworn in as president. Coxe will became
president in June 2006:
The new president-elect designate de-
clined to list specific challenges to the Bar,
but rather referred to the Florida Supreme
Court's 1949 opinion that created The Florida
Bar. In that opinion, Coxe said, the court
found that 'we cannot shut our eyes to the
fact that, like other institutions of the coun-
Sixteen lawyers have
beenelectedwithout
opposition to the Board of
Governors and another 14
are running for 7 contested
seats. See page 19.
try, it [the legal profession] is tinder attack
and we have a duty to meet that attack cou-
rageously. We think this duty devolves on
the Bar as a whole....'
Coxe continued, There is really only
one issue and that is the protection of the
profession and the judiciary while serving
the public.
)R ct. 1974
_IThe Florida Bar News
Volume 32, Number 1 www.FLABAR.org January 1, 2005
Board rejecftsqay adoption lobbying
By Gary Blankenship
Senior Editor
Although no one defeided the law, the
Bar Board of Governors has said three sec-
lions cannot lobby to repeal a state law ban-
ning homosexuals from adopting because it is
too divisive among Bar members.
The board voted 31-13 at its December 10
Jneeting in Naples to accept tie reconitnenda-
tion of the Legislative Committee and deny
the request of the Family Law. Equal Opportu-
nities Law, and Public Interest Law sections
to seek to change the law. The three sections
wanted to substitute a best-interest-of-the-
The Florida Bar will soon increase the
security level for access to member ser-
vices on the Bar's Web site page called the
StoreFront.
There are about 26,000 members cur-
rently registered to use the Bar's online
services. The Bar, on December 23, mailed
a letter with a new personal setup pass-
word to those members already registered,
Call for new judges
comes up short in
special session
The effort will be renewed when
legislators reconvene in March
By Jan Pudlow
Associate Editor
A bill touted as a first step toward deliv-
ering desperately needed new trial judges
unanimously passed the House Fiscal
Council December 16,
but went nowhere in
the special session
when it did not get an
audience in the Senate.
HB 23A, filed by
Rep. Bruce Kyle, R-Ft.
Myers, would have
created 20 new judges
-only a fraction of the
110 judges the Su-
KYLE preme Court has certi-
fied as critically needed
in Florida's trial courts - and Kyle vowed
to push for more judges during the regular
session that begins March 8.
Kyle's proposal calls for an additional
See Judges, page 24
child standard for the gay adoption ban.
The board devoted almost two hours of
debate to the issue.
No matter how you feel about this, pro or
con. some things are obvious. said board
member Harold Melville. This is a highly
emotional issue. It's a deeply philosophical
issue and we are dealing with a [Bar] rule. That
rule says if the issue carries the potential for
deep philosophical or emotional division
amniong a substantial segment of the member-
ship. the section cannot be allowed to lobby
for it.
The divisiveness [of the issue] is not a
and those members will need to use the
setup password to re-register for
StoreFront services, such as the purchase
of continuing legal education courses and
CLE tapes; update official Bar addresses,
pay annual Bar fees; and access CLE hours
potential divisiveness; there is in fact a deep
emotional and philosophical division anong
the memnbers of the Bar....We're not talking
about whether we think this is a good law or a
bad law. We're looking at our rles, and our
rles say where there is the potential for deep
division, the section rutst be prohibited lom
lobbying o it.
Board member Steve Chaykin disagreed.
This is as bigoted and repugnant a law as
there is, he said, adding if the term homo-
sexual was replaced in the law with any ell,-
nic, gender, or religious group there would be
no question that the sections would he al-
and CLE reporting date information online.
Once received, members are asked to
go to the Bar's StoreFront at
www3.flabar.org and click on the login link.
See Online, page 8
YEAl METIGN A -
lowed to aet. hfile issue, he said. is fair and
equal access to tile colrts.
I aum told that the argtunient against
tile sections] is that the clause dealing with
deep philosophical and emnotional differ-
ences . . . is designed to protect the Bar
from a structural inlegrity standpoint and
See Lobbying, page 5
CLE hours now
available online
Log on to keep up with hours
and reporting date information
Florida Bar members may now log on
to www.flabar.org to check their CLE
hours and CLER reporting date informa-
tion. New members can also verify re-
porting information for compliance with
the basic skills course requirement.
The on-line option will expand the in-
formation you now find on your News'
mailing label about the continuing legal
education requirement. Credit hours on
the News' mailing label will continue to be
displayed for a quick reference, with the
online version providing more detail.
Members also may continue to reg-
ister for CLE courses and order CLE
tapes on the Bar's Web site as well.
See CLE, page 5
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Bar online passwords are in the mail
System will enable members to conduct business online
COMING TO A BUMPER NF AYou
THE FLORIDA CABINET recently put its stamp of approval on the new Kids
Deserve Justice specialty license tag. While it won't be available until March, you may
pledge your willingness now to purchase the new $25 plate that will raise funds for
Florida Bar Foundation legal programs for children by calling the Foundation at
(407) 843-0045. The Foundation will then send you a notice when the tags are
ready. Pictured from the left are Attorney General Charlie Crist, Gov. Jeb Bush, Chief
Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, Florida
-Bar President Kelly Overstreet Johnson, and Foundation President-elect Bill Davis.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.barjournals/flabn0032&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)