Judge Thomas J. Brown Individual Rules & Standing Orders

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 218 rules apply across Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Brevard and Seminole Counties. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 90

Applies to
Extradition waiver
An extradition waiver must be written, executed before a judge, and state that the person consents to return to the demanding state.
Applies to
Probable cause arrest affidavit
Probable-cause arrest affidavits for probation or community-control violations must include the specified supervision and case information; unsupported database assertions are insufficient.
Applies to
Probable cause finding
A probable-cause finding must be written, signed by the first appearance judge, and filed with the evidence supporting it.

Communication

All 37

Contact
Email
A party canceling a hearing must email the Court a copy of the Notice of Cancellation at the same time it is filed.
Contact
Email to chambers
Email is the most effective way to communicate with the Court, but emails to a Judicial Assistant must not include legal argument or substantive discussion of case facts.
Contact
Email to chambers
For additional information or assistance, contact the judicial assistant by email.

Formatting

All 21

Exhibits must be pre-marked with stickers identifying the offering party, hearing date, and case number.
Each exhibit must be marked in sequence with an identifying letter.
DJMCA date and signature codes must be used in pairs, placed alone on a line without spaces or tabs, aligned using Word’s alignment features, written in four uppercase letters, and used only once per line.

Service

All 19

Applies to
Complaint or arrest report and bail documents
Before first appearance, the clerk must provide the state attorney and the public defender or present private counsel copies of the complaint or arrest report and documents the judge used to set bail.
A release for failure to meet specified time periods requires a judge’s order and notice to the state; at daily first appearance hearings, receipt of the docket copy by the state attorney satisfies notice.
Applies to
Complaint related documents and clerk minutes
Correctional officers must give each defendant scheduled for first appearance copies of the complaint, related documents, and the clerk’s minutes setting the next court date.

More categories

View all Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Brevard and Seminole Counties rules

About Judge Thomas J. Brown

County Court Judge, 18th Judicial Circuit, since July 2016.
Assistant State Attorney, 18th Judicial Circuit, from 1993 to July 2016.
B.A. in Political Science and Business Management, Eckerd College, 1985.
J.D. with Honors, Stetson University College of Law, 1989.
Chairperson, Florida Bar Grievance Committee, from 2013 to 2016.
Received the Meritorious Public Service Award from The Florida Bar in March 2016.
Received the Brevard County Bar Association Professionalism Award/Government Attorney in 2009.
Received the Pride in Excellence Award, Trial Attorney of the Year, in 1998.
Received the Victim’s Rights Attorney of the Year award in 2001.

Location: Moore Justice Center, Viera, Brevard
Address: 2825 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, FL 32940-8006
Phone (judicial assistant): (321) 617-7285
Email (judicial assistant): Nancy.Hickman@flcourts18.org
Judicial assistant: Nancy Hickman

Common questions about Judge Thomas J. Brown's rules

What must be included with proposed continuance order filings before Judge Thomas J. Brown?

A proposed Continuance Order submitted to the Judge must include the new ER court date provided by the ER State Attorney when there is no objection.

View ruleSource: page 3, section Early Resolution Hearings

How may parties contact Judge Thomas J. Brown's chambers?

If there is no objection, attorneys must email the motion to the Judicial Assistant, copy the opposing party, and include language stating there is no objection; the Judicial Assistant will prepare an appropriate order.

View ruleSource: page 2, section Motions

How do I request an adjournment or extension before Judge Thomas J. Brown?

Continuance requests must be made in writing.

View ruleSource: page 2, section Hearing times/JACS

Is electronic filing required before Judge Thomas J. Brown?

Yes. Electronic filing is required for the covered filings. A request for a TEAMS or remote-appearance exception may be made by e-filing a motion with the Clerk and copying the Judicial Assistant at least 48 hours before the event.

View ruleSource: page 2, section TEAMS/SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS

What filing deadlines does Judge Thomas J. Brown set?

A motion requesting a TEAMS or remote-appearance exception must be submitted at least 48 hours before the court event.

View ruleSource: page 2, section TEAMS/SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS

What rule applies to serving the opposing party before Judge Thomas J. Brown?

Details: recipient: the opposing party. Motions must be copied to the opposing side for objection or input.

View ruleSource: page 2, section Motions

Complete rules summary for Judge Thomas J. Brown

Contact the presiding judge’s Judicial Assistant for hearing-scheduling needs.

Contact the Judicial Assistant if the desired docket is not listed in JACs.

A request for a TEAMS or remote-appearance exception may be made by e-filing a motion with the Clerk and copying the Judicial Assistant at least 48 hours before the event.

A motion requesting a TEAMS or remote-appearance exception must be submitted at least 48 hours before the court event.

Motions must be e-filed and copied to the opposing side for objection or input.

Motions must be copied to the opposing side for objection or input.

If there is no objection, attorneys must email the motion to the Judicial Assistant, copy the opposing party, and include language stating there is no objection; the Judicial Assistant will prepare an appropriate order.

Motions and orders should be emailed directly to the Judicial Assistant.

Continuance requests must be made in writing.

Motions and orders must not be submitted through E-Portal.

JACS is not used to coordinate or schedule hearings; contact the Judicial Assistant by email for assistance.

Plea in Absentia paperwork must be submitted to the Judicial Assistant before the scheduled court date.

If required, counsel must submit the fingerprint card with the original Plea in Absentia paperwork before the court date.

For a continuance request, contact the ER State Attorney; if there is no objection, the new ER court date must be included on the proposed Continuance Order.

A proposed Continuance Order submitted to the Judge must include the new ER court date provided by the ER State Attorney when there is no objection.