Direct Appeal Jurisdiction of Florida's District Courts of Appeal
20 Pages Posted: 13 Oct 2008
Date Written: 2003
Abstract
This is a practical response to a question that vexes many Florida lawyers: What is, or is not, a final order from a Florida trial court that is appealable to a District Court of Appeal on the basis of its finality? The scope of the discussion is limited to appeals from civil and administrative, rather than criminal, courts in Florida. The article begins with a brief overview of the District Courts of Appeal and their jurisdiction, and then addresses the efforts Florida courts have made to establish a standard by which to measure an order's "finality." Further, the article analyzes the procedure by which final orders are appealed, and it then concludes that the courts have succeeded in defining "final judgments" and that Florida lawyers need only follow the courts' rules and precedent in determining which "final judgments" are appealable and which are not.
Keywords: appealable issues, Florida trial courts, Florida District Court of Appeal, civil courts, administrative courts
JEL Classification: K10, K23, K41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation