Courts In Florida

More information on Florida's state courts:
	Selection methods; Elections; Salaries; Federal courts

In Florida, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

Federal courts
State supreme court
State court of appeals
Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Florida's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Florida's state court system.

Judicial selection process[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in Florida and Florida judicial elections

The seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court and the 60 justices of the Florida District Courts of Appeal are selected by the governor. A judicial nominating commission screens potential judicial candidates, submitting a list of three to six nominees to the governor. The governor must appoint a judge from this list.^[1] Newly appointed judges serve for at least one year, after which they appear in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms.^[1]

The judges on the circuit courts and county courts are elected via nonpartisan elections to six-year terms.^[1]

To read more about judicial elections in Florida, click here.

Federal courts[edit]

The federal district courts in Florida are the:

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Appeals from these districts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Active judges[edit]

Middle District[edit]

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Steven Merryday	George H.W. Bush (R)	February 10, 1992 -	University of Florida, 1972	University of Florida Law, 1975
Marcia Howard	George W. Bush (R)	February 20, 2007 -	Vanderbilt University, 1987	University of Florida Law, 1990
Mary Scriven	George W. Bush (R)	September 30, 2008 -	Duke University, 1983	Florida State University College of Law, 1987
Sheri Polster Chappell	Barack Obama (D)	May 22, 2013 -	University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1984	Nova Southeastern University, 1987
Paul G. Byron	Barack Obama (D)	June 24, 2014 -	University of Michigan, 1983	Louisiana State University School of Law, 1986
Carlos E. Mendoza	Barack Obama (D)	June 27, 2014 -	West Virginia University, 1993	West Virginia University, 1997
William Jung	Donald Trump (R)	September 10, 2018 -	Vanderbilt University, 1980	University of Illinois College of Law, 1983
Tom Barber	Donald Trump (R)	July 11, 2019 -	University of Florida, 1989	University of Pennsylvania, 1992
Wendy W. Berger	Donald Trump (R)	July 29, 2019 -	Florida State University, 1990	Florida State University College of Law, 1992
John L. Badalamenti	Donald Trump (R)	June 4, 2020 -	University of Florida, 1995	University of Florida College of Law, 1999
Kathryn Kimball Mizelle	Donald Trump (R)	November 20, 2020 -	Covenant College, 2009	University of Florida College of Law, 2012
Julie Sneed	Joe Biden (D)	March 4, 2024 -	University of Florida, 1991	Florida State University College of Law, 1994

This list displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president and does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

Democrat appointed: 4
Republican appointed: 8

Northern District[edit]

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Margaret Rodgers	George W. Bush (R)	November 21, 2003 -	University of West Florida, 1989	California Western School of Law, 1992
Mark E. Walker	Barack Obama (D)	December 7, 2012 -	University of Florida, 1989	University of Florida College of Law, 1992
Allen Winsor	Donald Trump (R)	June 21, 2019 -	Auburn University, 1997	University of Florida College of Law, 2002
T. Kent Wetherell	Donald Trump (R)	July 12, 2019 -	Florida State University, 1992	Florida State University College of Law, 1995

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

Democrat appointed: 1
Republican appointed: 3

Southern District[edit]

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Kevin M. Moore	George H.W. Bush (R)	February 10, 1992 -	Florida State University, 1972	Fordham University Law, 1976
Donald Middlebrooks	Bill Clinton (D)	May 27, 1997 -	University of Florida, 1968	University of Florida Law, 1972
William Dimitrouleas	Bill Clinton (D)	May 22, 1998 -	Furman University, 1973	University of Florida College of Law, 1975
Jose E. Martinez	George W. Bush (R)	September 17, 2002 -	University of Miami, 1962	University of Miami School of Law, 1965
Cecilia Altonaga	George W. Bush (R)	May 7, 2003 -	Florida International University, 1983	Yale Law, 1986
Kathleen M. Williams	Barack Obama (D)	August 4, 2011 -	Duke University, 1978	University of Miami Law, 1982
Darrin P. Gayles	Barack Obama (D)	June 19, 2014 -	Howard University, 1990	George Washington University Law Center, 1993
Beth Bloom	Barack Obama (D)	June 25, 2014 -	University of Florida, 1984	University of Miami School of Law, 1988
Robin L. Rosenberg	Barack Obama (D)	July 24, 2014 -	Princeton University, 1983	Duke University School of Law, 1989
Roy Altman	Donald Trump (R)	April 9, 2019 -	Columbia University, 2004	Yale Law School, 2007
Rodolfo Ruiz	Donald Trump (R)	May 3, 2019 -	Duke University, 2002	Georgetown University Law Center, 2005
Rodney Smith	Donald Trump (R)	June 14, 2019 -	Florida A&M University, 1996	Michigan State University, 1999
Anuraag Singhal	Donald Trump (R)	December 20, 2019 -	Rice University, 1986	Wake Forest University School of Law, 1989
Aileen Cannon	Donald Trump (R)	November 13, 2020 -	Duke University, 2003	University of Michigan Law School, 2007
Jacqueline Becerra	Joe Biden (D)	February 29, 2024 -	University of Miami, 1991	Yale Law School, 1994
David Leibowitz	Joe Biden (D)	March 1, 2024 -	University of Pennsylvania, 1993	University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2000
Melissa Damian	Joe Biden (D)	March 4, 2024 -	Princeton University, 1990	University of Miami School of Law, 1995

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

Democrat appointed: 9
Republican appointed: 8

District map[edit]

Judicial selection[edit]

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.

Bankruptcy courts[edit]

There are three federal bankruptcy courts in Florida. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in Florida are:

United States bankruptcy court, Middle District of Florida
United States bankruptcy court, Northern District of Florida
United States bankruptcy court, Southern District of Florida

State supreme court[edit]

See also: Florida Supreme Court

Founded in 1845, the Florida Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Carlos Muñiz.

As of May 2023, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.^[2]

The Florida Supreme Court meets in Tallahassee, Florida. The court hears oral arguments from August through June of every year, typically during the first full week of each month.^[3]

In Florida, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.

The Florida Constitution gives the Supreme Court mandatory appellate jurisdiction over certain types of cases such as death penalty, bond validations, public utilities cases, and matters pertaining to the state constitution. It has exclusive and non-exclusive jurisdiction over writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, and prohibition.^[4] It also hears cases on appeal from the Florida District Courts of Appeal.

The court may provide advisory opinions to the attorney general regarding the validity of initiative petitions and to the governor regarding constitutional powers and duties.^[5]

The table below lists the current judges of the Florida Supreme Court and the appointing governor.

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office	Appointed by
Florida Supreme Court	Charles Canady	Nonpartisan	September 8, 2008	Charlie Crist (R)
Florida Supreme Court	John Daniel Couriel	Nonpartisan	June 1, 2020	Ron DeSantis (R)
Florida Supreme Court	Renatha Francis	Nonpartisan	September 1, 2022	Ron DeSantis (R)
Florida Supreme Court	Jamie Rutland Grosshans	Nonpartisan	September 14, 2020	Ron DeSantis (R)
Florida Supreme Court	Jorge Labarga	Nonpartisan	January 6, 2009	Charlie Crist (R)
Florida Supreme Court	Carlos Muñiz	Nonpartisan	January 22, 2019	Ron DeSantis (R)
Florida Supreme Court	Meredith Sasso	Nonpartisan	May 23, 2023	Ron DeSantis (R)

State court of appeals[edit]

See also: Florida District Courts of Appeal

The Florida District Courts of Appeal are the state's intermediate appellate courts. These courts hear cases from a circuit or county court that cannot be appealed directly to the Supreme Court. There are five district courts of appeal in Florida.^[6]

The following judges sit on the court:

First District[edit]

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Thomas D. Winokur	June 11, 2015 - Present	Rick Scott
Ross L. Bilbrey	December 23, 2014 - Present	Rick Scott
L. Clayton Roberts	January 18, 2007 - Present	Charlie Crist
Lori S. Rowe	September 15, 2009 - Present	Charlie Crist
Stephanie Williams Ray	2011 - Present	Rick Scott
Susan Kelsey	April 16, 2015 - Present	Rick Scott
Timothy D. Osterhaus	May 20, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Adam Tanenbaum	2019 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Joseph Lewis	2001 - Present	Jeb Bush
Rachel Nordby	2019 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Robert E. Long Jr.	June 30, 2020 - Present	Ron DeSantis
M. Kemmerly Thomas	June 20, 2016 - Present	Rick Scott

Second District[edit]

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Suzanne Labrit	July 29, 2020 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Matthew C. Lucas	December 23, 2014 - Present	Rick Scott
Patricia Kelly	2001 - Present	Jeb Bush
Daniel H. Sleet	December 21, 2012 - Present	Rick Scott
Morris Silberman	January 2, 2001 - Present	Jeb Bush
Anthony K. Black	2010 - Present	Charlie Crist
Craig Villanti	2003 - Present	Jeb Bush
Edward LaRose	2005 - Present	Jeb Bush
Nelly Khouzam	August 1, 2008 - Present	Charlie Crist
Stevan Northcutt	January 6, 1997 - Present	Lawton Chiles
J. Andrew Atkinson	2018 - Present	Rick Scott
Andrea Teves Smith	February 1, 2019 - Present	Rick Scott
Robert J. Morris Jr.	August 1, 2009 - Present	Charlie Crist
Susan Rothstein-Youakim	2016 - Present	Rick Scott

Third District[edit]

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Fleur J. Lobree	2019 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Thomas W. Logue	June 7, 2012 - Present	Rick Scott
Bronwyn C. Miller	2019 - Present	Rick Scott
Monica Gordo	2019 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Edwin A. Scales III	October 21, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Alexander Bokor	September 1, 2020 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Kansas Gooden	July 1, 2024 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Kevin M. Emas	November 24, 2010 - Present	Charlie Crist
Ivan F. Fernandez	August 12, 2011 - Present	Rick Scott
Norma S. Lindsey	May 26, 2016 - Present	Rick Scott

Fourth District[edit]

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Mark W. Klingensmith	June 27, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Dorian Damoorgian	January 2, 2008 - Present	Charlie Crist
Alan O. Forst	March 7, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Burton C. Conner	2011 - Present	Rick Scott
Cory Ciklin	December 10, 2008 - Present	Charlie Crist
Melanie May	2002 - Present	Jeb Bush
Robert Gross	1995 - Present	Lawton Chiles
Spencer D. Levine	2009 - Present	Charlie Crist
Jeffrey T. Kuntz	November 4, 2016 - Present	Rick Scott
Jonathan D. Gerber	2009 - Present	Charlie Crist
Martha Warner	1989 - Present	Bob Martinez
Edward Artau	2020 - Present	Ron DeSantis

Fifth District[edit]

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
John M. Harris	2018 - Present	Rick Scott
Eric Eisnaugle	2017 - Present	Rick Scott
Scott D. Makar	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
James A. Edwards	November 14, 2014 - Present	Rick Scott
Frederic Rand Wallis	May 29, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Brian D. Lambert	May 19, 2014 - Present	Rick Scott
John MacIver	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Harvey Jay III	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Adrian Soud	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Paige Kilbane	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Joe Boatwright	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Jordan Pratt	April 17, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis

Sixth District[edit]

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Paetra Brownlee	2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
John K. Stargel	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Daniel Traver	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Mary Alice Nardella	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Carrie Ann Wozniak	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Jared Smith	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Joshua Mize	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Roger Gannam	September 5, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Keith F. White	January 1, 2023 - Present	Ron DeSantis

The map below shows each of those districts by county.

Jurisdiction of the Florida District Courts of Appeal

Trial courts[edit]

Circuit courts[edit]

See also: Florida Circuit Court

The Florida Circuit Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction. Circuit courts hear cases including criminal felonies, family law matters, civil cases (with more than $50,000 at issue), probate issues, juvenile cases, and appeals from county courts. There are 20 judicial circuit courts.^[7]^[8]

The map below shows each of those circuits by county.

Florida Circuit Courts

County courts[edit]

See also: Florida County Court

The Florida County Courts' jurisdiction includes civil disputes involving between $8,000 and $50,000, and citizen disputes such as traffic offenses, misdemeanor criminal offenses, and minor monetary disputes. There is one court in each of the state's 67 counties.^[8]^[9]

In other states[edit]

Click the map below to explore the court structure in other states.

External links[edit]

Search Google News for this topic
Florida Supreme Court

Footnotes[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
↑ Gov. Charlie Crist switched parties from Republican to Democratic during his term. The judges he appointed were during his time as a Republican, so they are considered appointed by a Republican governor.
↑ Florida Supreme Court, "Visiting the Court," accessed September 13, 2021
↑ Florida Supreme Court, "History of the Florida Supreme Court," accessed September 13, 2021
↑ Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability,"State Courts System," accessed June 12, 2024
↑ Florida Courts, "District Courts of Appeal," accessed January 18, 2023
↑ Florida Courts, "Trial Courts - Circuit," accessed March 2, 2021
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 The Florida Bar, "Jurisdictional Changes to Civil Courts Take Effect in 2023," accessed April 4, 2023
↑ Florida Courts, "Trial Courts - County," accessed March 2, 2021

Florida courts

Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida

State courts:

Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court

State resources:

Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida

[flajs-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014

[2] Gov. Charlie Crist switched parties from Republican to Democratic during his term. The judges he appointed were during his time as a Republican, so they are considered appointed by a Republican governor.

[3] Florida Supreme Court, "Visiting the Court," accessed September 13, 2021

[schist-4] Florida Supreme Court, "History of the Florida Supreme Court," accessed September 13, 2021

[5] Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability,"State Courts System," accessed June 12, 2024

[iac-6] Florida Courts, "District Courts of Appeal," accessed January 18, 2023

[circ-7] Florida Courts, "Trial Courts - Circuit," accessed March 2, 2021

[changes-8] 8.0 ^8.1 The Florida Bar, "Jurisdictional Changes to Civil Courts Take Effect in 2023," accessed April 4, 2023

[county-9] Florida Courts, "Trial Courts - County," accessed March 2, 2021