Revised—September 21, 2016 THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA MANUAL OF INTERNAL OPERATING PROCEDURES INTRODUCTION This manual of internal operating procedures is designed to: (1) assist practitioners; (2) orient new employees; (3) codify established practices and traditions; (4) protect and maintain the collegial decision-making process; and (5) make the judicial process more comprehensible to the general public. This manual neither supplants any of the Florida rules of court procedure nor creates any substantive or procedural rights. The Court continually reviews and improves internal procedures, and the manual is revised from time to time as new procedures are officially adopted. The latest version of this manual is always posted on the Court's website at http://www.floridasupremecourtorg/pub_info/documents/1OPs.pdf. SECTION I. COURT STRUCTURE A. Court Composition. The Supreme Court of Florida is composed of seven justices who serve terms of six years. Each justice, other than the chief justice, is authorized to employ three staff attorneys and one judicial assistant. The staff of the chief justice includes three staff attorneys, one of whom may serve as executive assistant to the chief justice; four judicial assistants; an inspector general and staff; a reporter of decisions; a director of the public information office and staff; and a central staff of attorneys, one of whom serves as the director of central staff, and a paralegal. Chambers for each justice, including the chief justice, are located on the fourth floor of the Supreme Court Building. Members of the public, including attorneys admitted to practice in Florida, are not permitted on the fourth floor unless they have obtained permission from a justice. B. The Chief Justice. The chief justice is the administrative officer of the Court and the Florida judicial branch, responsible for the dispatch of the business of the Court and of the branch, and for directing the implementation