Chief Justice Muñiz urges judges to focus on service
Muñiz said his tenure has been blessed with a Legislature that has been responsive to the court’s funding requests
Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz
Florida judges should ignore the political storms that sometimes swirl around the branch, and focus instead on serving the public, Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz said Thursday as his second and final term as chief winds down.
“Always remember service, always remember subordinating our own personal issues or desires to the law, and let people know that we exist to serve them, and not the other way around,” he said.
Delivering a Judicial Luncheon address at the 2026 Florida Bar Convention in Orlando, Muñiz quoted Chief Justice John Roberts to stress his point.
“Throughout history there’s always concerns about the rule of law and the direction of things, and our times are no different,” Muñiz said. “But the best thing that we can do as judges is to do as Chief Justice Roberts said, ‘reflect on our own duty to judge without fear or favor, deciding each matter with humility, integrity, and dispatch.’”
Bar President Rosalyn Sia Baker Barnes presented Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz with an original painting by Florida Highwaymen artist John Maynor that will be displayed in the Supreme Court accompanied by a plaque noting that it is given in honor of Justice Muñiz’s two terms as chief justice. “You have led this court with a steady hand and a generous spirit, treating everyone you encounter with respect, whether it’s a member of the public, a lawyer, a volunteer, or a colleague,” she said.
Muñiz said his tenure has been blessed with a Legislature that has been responsive to the court’s funding requests. Two lawyer-lawmakers, Rep. Jennifer Canady of Lakeland, and Rep. Patt Maney, a retired Okaloosa judge, deserve special credit, Muñiz said.
The Legislature last month approved a $114.5 billion budget that includes many court spending priorities. Muñiz pointed to a $1 million appropriation — “not necessarily a big-ticket item,” — that he said will go a long way toward enhancing judicial security.
An interim recommendation of a Supreme Court workgroup, the appropriation will pay for two Supreme Court deputy marshals who will serve as clearinghouse for threats against judges and court staff statewide. They will also serve as liaisons with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to coordinate the response.
Lawmakers approved the budget on the same day the workgroup delivered its final report. The panel concluded that there are “sound efforts,” underway by the circuits and district courts of appeal to enhance security, but that more could be done, Muñiz said.
“Obviously, one of the most foundational, elemental things that we can do in terms of helping to oversee the branch is making sure that we have done everything that we possibly can to protect the personal security of our judges and staff, and so, we’re very grateful to the Legislature for that, and we’re going to make the best of that opportunity that they’ve given us.”
Saying he was “jealous” of the Bar for the many awards that it bestows every year, Muñiz said he wanted to dedicate the rest of his address to honoring the Office of State Courts Administrator.
“I wanted to spend a little bit of time that I had left, putting the work that we do to oversee the branch in perspective,” he said. “I wanted to highlight somebody who is indispensable to us doing what we do, not just our court, but to judges across the state.”
From the annual exercise to determine the need for new judges, to assessing the success or failure of court programs, to recommending actions the justices should take to maintain “a spirit of excellence,” everything flows through OSCA, Muñiz said.
Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz, right, and State Courts Administrator Eric Maclure.
With that, Muñiz invited veteran State Courts Administrator Eric Maclure, who has served the court system since 2013, to the rostrum to receive an engraved plaque.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve never worked with anybody who’s more dedicated, more capable, more collegial, more hard-working, more loyal, more public spirited than Eric Maclure,” Muñiz said. “To me, he represents everything that all of us who serve the people in state government should aspire to, and that includes judges and the non-judges in the court system.”
Praising the Supreme Court’s “strong” relationship with The Florida Bar, Muñiz said the hundreds of Florida lawyers who volunteer their service to the Bar deserve recognition, too.
“When we read things about the profession, the rule of law, and professionalism, ethics and civility, it’s not just empty rhetoric or hot air, it’s something that people believe, and that’s what I think draws people to be involved in this organization,” he said. “And I really admire and respect that, and I look forward to continuing to work with you, and I want to conclude by saying thank you for what you do.”
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