The Supreme Court adopted a rule amendment that promotes greater use of remote technology in routine criminal proceedings.

Acting May 9 in Case No. SC2023-0803, newly amended Rule 3.116 preserves the general authorization to use communication technology for pretrial conferences, while at the same time requiring a judge to grant a motion to use such technology for non-evidentiary pretrial matters scheduled for 30 minutes or less, unless there is a determination of good cause to deny the request.

The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and past FACDL President Jude Faccidomo have long championed the amendment, saying it strikes a balance between leveraging technology for efficiency and ensuring due process in criminal proceedings.