107 Secret Court Cases Discovered in One Florida County

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The Circuit Court in Florida’s Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) have removed 107 civil cases from the dockets since 2001, the Miami Herald reported. It also said it had uncovered similar secret cases in Palm Beach and Pinellas (St. Petersburg) counties. Some are family court cases but many involve fraud and other civil disputes. ”What you have operating is a secret judiciary,” said South Florida First Amendment lawyer Thomas Julin. The newspaper said that in response to reporters’ inquiries, Broward judges are studying the practice, and two judges have set hearings to consider opening up four hidden cases. (4/17/06)