The following is a real-time transcript taken as closed captioning during the oral argument proceedings, and as such, may contain errors. This service is provided solely for the purpose of assisting those with disabilities and should be used for no other purpose. These are not legal documents, and may not be used as legal authority. This transcript is not an official document of the Florida Supreme Court.

In re: Retirement of Sara Gainey


GOD SAVE THESE UNITED STATES, THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND THIS HONORABLE COURT. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT. YOU MAY BE SEATED.

WHAT BE HERE FOR THIS CEREMONIAL SESSION. WE HAVE HAD A TOUGH WEEK OF HEARINGS AND THIS IS A GREAT SIGHT AND TO SEE YOU, TOO, SARA, AND THEN A RECEPTION OUT IN THE ROTUNDA. AND WE WANT TO WELCOME MEMBERS OF THE SUPREME COURT FAMILY WHO HAVE RETURNED TO US TODAY FOR A VERY SPECIAL OCCASION. WE HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE COURT THAT HAVE WORKED DILIGENTLY TO PUT THIS PROGRAM TOGETHER TODAY, AND TO SOME DEGREE, I AM FOLLOWING A SCRIPT THAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THIS OCCASION, AND THAT I CONCUR IN WHOLEHEARTEDLY, BUT I WILL ASK ALL OF YOU TO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME, AS I WORK MY WAY THROUGH THAT SCRIPT THIS MORNING. TODAY WE WILL HONOR SOMEONE WHO HAS SERVED THIS COURT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME LONGER THAN ANY OTHER PERSON, INCLUDING ANY SETTING JUSTICE. WE RECENTLY HAD THE RETIREMENT OF TWO OF OUR LONG STANDING JUSTICES, AND BOTH OF THOSE OCCASIONS, WE REALLY REMARKED ON THE HISTORY OF THE OCCASION, AND, REALLY, THOSE REMARKS ARE SIMILAR TO HOW WE FEEL TODAY. THE PERSON WE HONOR IS OUR LONG STANDING CALENDAR CLERK, SARA GAINEY. IN FACT, SHE HAS WORKED FOR NEARLY HALF OF THE 50 CHIEF JUSTICES WHO HAVE PRESIDED OVER THIS COURT AND FOR NEARLY 45 PERCENT OF THE 81 JUSTICES WHO HAVE SAT ON THIS BENCH F YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE BACK OF THE PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN HANDED OUT TO YOU, THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY UNDERLINED THE NAMES OF ALL 36 OF THE JUSTICES THAT SHE HAS SERVED IN HER TENURE HERE AT THE COURT. SHE FIRST CAME TO WORK HERE NEARLY 47 YEARS AGO, AT A TIME WHEN THIS BUILDING STILL HOUSED NOT ONLY THE COURT BUT THE STATE LIBRARY, THE FLORIDA BAR, AND THE FLORIDA BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS. AND THE BUILDING ALSO WAS THE OFFICIAL STATE FALL OUT SHELTER, BECAUSE OF ITS EXTENSIVE BASEMENTS. THERE WERE ONLY 6500 LICENSED FLORIDA ATTORNEYS AT THAT TIME, COMPARED TO TODAY'S 72000 ATTORNEYS. THE DATE SHE FIRST STARTED WORKING HERE WAS OCTOBER 1, 1956 FORM -- OCTOBER 1, 1956. IT WAS A DAY LIKE OUR OWN IN MANY WAYS BUT VERY UNLIKE OUR OWN IN MANY OTHERS. ON OCTOBER 1, 1936, THERE WAS -- ON OCTOBER 1, 1946, THERE WAS A CRISIS IN THE SUEZ DANAL. -- CANAL. THE PRESIDENT THEN WAS NAMED IKE AND AS I MENTIONED THE CRISIS WAS WAS OVER THE CONTROL OF THE SUEZ CANAL. ON OCTOBER 1, 1956, PEOPLE COULD NOT WAIT TO GET HOME THAT EVENING TO WATCH BOB HOPE'S APPEARANCE ON THE "I LOVE LUCY" SHOW. FLORIDA YOUNG PEOPLE ENJOYED THEIR FAVORITE MUSIC, THOUGH JUST LIKE TODAY THEIR TASTES WERE ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. ON OCTOBER 1, 1956, FOR INSTANCE, THE TOP THREE POPULAR SONGS WERE "DON'T BE CRUEL", "HOUND DOG", AND KUE SARA SARA". GOSH, I HAVE TO SAY THAT AS A TEENAGER AT THAT TIME, I ENJOYED ALL OF THAT, AND WHILE PARENTS OF THAT DAY AND AGE MAVEN KURGED THIRTEEN AGERS TO BE LIKE THE WHOLESOME DORIS DAY, THEY CERTAINLY LOOKED AS SCANS AT ELVIS AND HIS FAMOUS GYRATIONS AND I THINK MAYBE HIS DUCK TAIL HAIRCUT, TOO. SARA, WHEN YOU CAME TO WORK HERE, TALLAHASSEE WAS TRULY A SMALL TOWN. THE CENSUS UPDATE OF 1955 SHOWED THAT THE CITY HAD 38,000 RESIDENTS WHILE LEON COUNTY CLAIMED 59,000. THE CITY STILL USED 5-DIGIT TELEPHONE DIALING. TO GET THROUGH TO OUR CLERK OF COURT, GUYTE McCORD, YOU ONLY HAD TO DIAL 304-97. EXCEPT FOR MOVIES AND LIFE PERFORMANCES AT FSU, TALLAHASSEE HAD ACCESS TO ENTERTAINMENT CONSISTING OF THREE RADIO STATIONS AND ONE TELEVISION STATION. PEOPLE KNEW EACH OTHER SO WELL THAT, THE AFTERNOON UP IN, THE TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, ROUTINELY PUBLISHED THE NAMES OF PEOPLE ADMITTED AND RELEASED AT TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. TODAY THEY WOULD HAVE A LAWSUIT IF THEY PUBLISHED THE NAMES! THERE WAS AN OUTRAGE ABOUT LETTING THAT ALL OUT, BUT PEOPLE ALSO WERE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ON OCTOBER 1, 1956. IN THAT DAY'S TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN WHICH FLORIDA SENATOR SPECARD HOLLAND TALKED ABOUT THE WONDERS OF THE PROPOSED NEW INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM. THE ROAD FROM PENSACOLA TO JACKSONVILLE, HE SAID, WOULD BECOME THE BEST HIGHWAY TALLAHASSEE HAD EVER SEEN. ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE DEMOCRAT, HOWEVER, THE MAJOR FEAR OF THE DAY WAS REFLECTED IN AN ARTICLE THAT WARNED OF A CLASH WITH THE COMMIES OVER THE PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. SARA, THERE WAS ONE OTHER DUTY THAT FELL TO YOU IN YOUR 30 YEARS AS CALENDAR CLERK. MANY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THIS, BUT UNTIL THE 1990s, THE CALENDAR CLERK ALSO SERVED AS THE DE FACTO -- AS THE DE FACTO PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER. ALL OF YOU CAN IMAGINE HER ON THE STEPS OF THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT WITH THE CASE INFORMATION. CRAIG, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT FOR YOUR JOB! WHEN THE PRESS NEEDED INFORMATION IN THE 1980s, THEY CAME TO SARA'S OFFICE AND THAT IS WHY SHE HAS SO MANY FRIENDS IN THE PRESS. THANKS TO HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, IT IS NOW WIDELY KNOWN THAT THIS COURT HAS DEVELOPED ONE OF THE MOST HIGH TECH PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAMS IN THE NATION. VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING THAT SARA ONCE HANDLED PERSONALLY NOW GOES OUT ELECTRONICALLY TO THE MEDIA, I AM NOT SURE WITH THE SAME PERSONAL FLAIR. BUT AS BILL COTTERAL, A VETERAN MEMBER OF THE CAPITOL PRESS CORPS PUT IN AN EMAIL HE SENT TO US, ONE DOWN SIDE TO HAVING COMPUTERS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE FASTER, THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE THAT CALMING SOUTHERN ACCENT, CALLING US TO SAY THE COURT HAS A RULING IN SOME BIG CASE. FOR HER WORK WITH THE MEDIA, ALL THOSE YEARS, THE PRESS CORPS ACTUALLY GAVE SARA ITS JOHN P KILGORE HEADLINERS AWARD IN 1978. AND IN THAT ACHIEVEMENT, SARSTILL IS AHEAD OF CRAIG WATERS. [LAUGHTER]

NEED TO PUT A LITTLE PRESSURE ON CRAIG. SARA, YOU CAME TO US IN 1956 AND HERE WE ARE, NEARLY 47 YEARS LATER. ON BEHALF THE COURT AND ALL OF ITS MEMBERS, DEEPLY PERSONALLY, I CANNOT BEGIN TO EXPRESS OUR APPRECIATION FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR US AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA. YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF THE GLUE THAT HELD US TOGETHER AS JUSTICES CAME AND WENT. IN 1973, YOU BEGAN WORKING AS CALENDAR CLERK, A JOB THAT REQUIRES YOU TO CHOREOGRAPH THE LAWYERS' APPEARANCES AS THEY ARE SUMMONED TO ARGUMENT. A HALF CENTURY'S WORTH OF FLORIDA'S ATTORNEYS HAVE COME TO ADORE YOU FOR THE JOB YOU HAVE PERFORMED. AS I HAVE SAID ELSEWHERE, IF YOU HOLD ALL THE -- IF YOU POLLED ALL OF THE ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE PRACTICED IN THIS COURT FOR THE LAST HALF VENTURI AND ASK THEM -- CENTURY AND ASKED THEM WHO THEY MOST LIKED IN THIS BUILDING, THEIR ANSWER UNQUESTIONABLY WOULD BE SARA GAINEY. SARA, YOUR HISTORY HERE IS A PART OF OUR HISTORY AS A COURT AND INSTITUTION. YOU HAVE WORKED FOR THIS INSTITUTION FOR NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF ITS ENTIRE EXISTENCE. BECAUSE YOU ARE SO UNIQUELY A PART OF THIS COURT AND WHAT IT MEANS TO THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA, WE HAVE SUMMONED YOU HERE TODAY FOR AN HONOR WE RARELY BESTOW. SARA, THIS COURT IS NOW ASSEMBLED IN SPECIAL CEREMONIAL SESSION, FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF ENTERING A RESOLUTION THAT I NOW WILL READ. AND LET IT BE DISPLAYED TO EVERYONE, AND IT IS ENTITLED RESOLUTION IN RERETIREMENT OF SARA GAINEY. AND I AM GOING TO ASK JUSTICE PARIENTE TO RELIEVE ME OF THE BURDEN THERE, OF HOLDING THAT UP FOR ALL TO SEE, WHILE I READ FROM IT. AND YOU CAN TELL THAT I AM READING AROUND THE CORNER HERE. WHEREAS SARA GAINEY HAS SERVED WITH DISTINCTION AS AN EMPLOYEE OF THIS COURT SINCE OCTOBER 1, 1956, FOR A TOTAL PERIOD OF SERVICE THAT EXCEEDS THAT OF ANY JUSTICE OR EMPLOYEE OF THIS INSTITUTION, IN THE 158 YEARS THAT HAVE TRANSPIRED SINCE THIS COURT'S CREATION, AND WHEREAS DURING NEARLY 47 YEARS OF SERVICE, SARA GAINEY HAS WORKED FOR 36 OF THE JUSTICES WHO HAVE SERVED ON THIS BENCH SINCE STATEHOOD OR NEARLY 45 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER, AND SHE ALSO HAS WORKED FOR 24 OF THE CHIEF JUSTICES FOR NEARLY 50 PERCENT, AND WHEREAS SARA GAIN I HAS SERVED THIS -- SARA GAINEY HAS SERVED THIS COURT AS CALENDAR CLERK SINCE 18973, A ROLE THAT -- SINCE 1973, A ROLE THAT REQUIRES HER TO ASSURE THAT ATTORNEYS ARE READY TO PROPERLY APPEAR, WHEN THE COURT SUMMONS THEM FOR ARGUMENTS, AND WHEREAS AS 30 YEARS WORK AS CALENDAR CLERK, SARA GAINEY HAS SERVED TO NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS ALIKE, AS OUNL COUNSELOR TO ATTORNEYS -- AS COUNSELOR TO ATTORNEYS AND IN SERVICE TO THEM ALL ALIKE, AND WHEREAS SARA GAINEY SERVED ONE ATTORNEY WHO FAINTED IN THIS COURT, IN A SEPTEMBER ORAL ARGUMENT IN 1994, INDEED THAT OCCURRED, IT WASN'T ME THAT ASKED THAT QUESTION! AND WHEREAS HER EXPERTISE, PERVASIVE SMILE, UNMATCHABLE GRACE AND DILIGENT SERVICE ARE IRREPLACEABLE ASSETS THAT WILL BE SORELY MISSED, AND WHEREAS THE COURT IS DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR HER WORK SPANNING NEARLY A HALF A CENTURY, NOW THERE FOR BE IT RESOLVED THAT SARA GAINEY IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A BE LOVED MEMBER OF THE SUPREME COURT'S EXTENDED FAMILY. DONE IN OPEN COURT ON THIS, THE NINTH DAY OF MAY, 2003. SARA, WOULD YOU PLEASE APPROACH THE BENCH AT THIS TIME, SO THAT WE ALL INDIVIDUALLY CAN THANK YOU AND I CAN THANK YOU [APPLAUSE] I ALSO WANT EVERYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE MADE A COPY, A FORMAL COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION, AND WE ARE GOING TO PUT THAT INTO THE SAME FORM PERMANENTLY, IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE, TO RECOGNIZE SARA. [APPLAUSE] I WANT YOU ALL TO BE SEATED AT THIS TIME. WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF A DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER. SARA, IT IS YOUR TURN AT THE PODIUM.

OKAY. YOUR HONOR, MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT.

YOU HAVE PLEASED THE COURT FOR LO THESE MANY YEARS, AND, YES, IT MAY PLEASE THE COURT TODAY.

I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION TO EACH OF THE JUSTICES AND TO EACH OF THE RETIRED JUSTICES THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH THROUGH THE YEARS, FOR ALLOWING ME TO WORK WITH AND BE A PART OF THIS GREAT COURT. IT HAS TRULY BEEN AN HONOR AND A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME TO WORK WITH THIS GREAT COURT. BEING A PART OF THIS COURT IS LIKE HAVING AN EXTENDED FAMILY. I COULD NOT HAVE WORKED WITH A FINER GROUP OF PEOPLE. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY BOSS, TOM HALL, AND EACH OF MY COWORKERS, FOR WORKING WITH AND BEING A PART OF THIS GREAT OCCASION. YOU ARE A PART OF ME. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK CRAIG WATERS, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC INFORMATION, FOR THE COURT, AND PARK TRAMMELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, FOR HELPING PUT THIS SPECIAL EVENT TOGETHER ON MY BEHALF. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT AND THE PRESS CORPS. IT IS ALWAYS NICE TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE AND MAYBE MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I WOULD LIKE FOR ALL OF THE LAWYERS AND THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH IN MY WORK KNOW HOW MUCH I HAVE ENJOYED WORKING WITH EVERY ONE OF YOU. I ENJOY HELPING PEOPLE. IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK AND BE A PART OF YOUR LIFE. I WILL TRULY MISS EVERYONE. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I AM GRATEFUL THAT MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS COULD COME AND ENJOY THIS SPECIAL OCCASION WITH ME. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME, FOR ALL OF YOU TO COME AND SHARE THIS WONDERFUL PART OF MY LIFE. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND SHARING THIS SPECIAL OCCASION. THANK YOU [APPLAUSE]

CHIEF JUSTICE: WHILE YOU ARE ALL STILL STANDING, LET ME END THIS CEREMONY AND BEGIN THE CELEBRATION IN THE ROTUNDA, BY SAYING THAT THE CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY OF THIS PUBLIC INSTITUTION WILL ALWAYS BE MEASURED BY THE CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY OF THE HUMAN BEINGS THAT MAKE UP ITS COMPOSITION, ANSAR A, YOU HAVE SET THE BAR VERY HIGH FOR ALL OF US. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE]