Judge trades courtroom for a classroom

Circuit Judge Charles Williams visited a local elementary school to mark Bucket Fillers Reading Day. The annual event, sponsored by the Embracing Our Differences organization, deploys volunteers to classrooms throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties to read and gift students with books that encourage kindness and positive behavior.

This is an image of three women dressed in superhero costumes at a party.

Not all heroes wear capes

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit observed National Adoption Day on November 15, 2024. Sixteen families from around the circuit participated in a ceremony held at the Silvertooth Judicial Center, Sarasota.

County court judges busy with canvassing board duties

County court judges play an important part in a community’s election process by participating on the county’s canvassing board. The canvass process protects our right to vote by certifying that voting equipment correctly counts all votes and by verifying the accuracy and validity of votes.

Court leaders are watching the weather

Court leaders are in communication with the leaders of all three counties in the circuit and are keeping an eye on the tropical disturbance in the western Gulf of Mexico. Our primary concern is always that our employees and the public, who are required to come to court as litigants and jurors, can get to court facilities safely.

Healing through Mediation

During a career in private practice, ADR Director Michelle Artman-Smith realized she found greater satisfaction in her work as an advocate for her clients when cases settled in mediation. The mediators were able to get agreements from some of her most high-conflict cases and her clients left mediations content with their decisions.