Public defenders this week asked the Florida Supreme Court to at least temporarily block judges in Lee County from holding videoconference hearings in cases about whether mentally ill people should be involuntarily committed to treatment facilities.
The dispute stems from a decision early this year for a Lee County judge and a magistrate to hold what are known as “Baker Act” hearings through videoconference technology, rather than appearing in person at mental-health facilities. Public defenders representing 15 people with mental illnesses filed petitions challenging the practice, but the Second District Court of Appeal in September allowed the remote hearings to continue.
