Lilyana Vasquez
Staff Writer
In 2022, Florida passed legislation establishing the Sixth District Court of Appeal, with proceedings set to take place in the Hollis Room at FSC and other local campuses until a permanent courthouse is constructed. In exchange for using the space, the court provided students with an opportunity to see court proceedings live and in person without leaving campus on March 13.
Sixth District Court of Appeal is composed of the Ninth, Tenth, and Twentieth Judicial Circuits of the State of Florida, according to the official Florida Courts website. These circuits cover Orange and Osceola Counties; Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties; and Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties, respectively.
The jurisdiction of a court of appeal in the United States is over cases that have been tried at the initial trial level already, where facts and evidence are presented and discussed by a jury. After the case is given a verdict, the defendant (in a criminal case) or the losing party (in a civil case) has the opportunity to appeal if they believe there was an error in the law used to try the facts. This means that the Hollis Room will not be hosting witnesses or juries. Only the attorneys, the presiding judges, and the parties involved presented—and of course any interested members of the public. Currently, nine judges sit on the Sixth District Court of Appeal and their appearance at court are likely be circulated throughout court sessions.
This session reviewed by a panel of three judges from the Sixth District Court of Appeal: the Honorable Mary Alice Nardella, the Honorable John K. Stargel and the Honorable Joshua A. Mize. Acting as the presiding judge, Judge Stargel is a University of Tampa alum. Following graduation from the Florida State University College of Law, Judge Stargel hit the ground running on a very impressive legal career. Starting with the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Tax and Budget Reform Commission and moving on to private practice, Judge Stargel has become an esteemed member of the Central Florida community.
There have been concerns in the past about the Hollis Room space being utilized for non-FSC reasons because it is often the desired location for SGA meetings, group advising sessions, Greek Life chapters and more hosted by FSC organizations.
