Judicial Information

 

 

 

Do you know when

We vote for judges?

 

 

If November was you’re answer, you’re only partially correct.

Actually we vote for judges in August during the primary.

If no candidate gets more than fifty percent of the vote, we then vote for them in a run off in November.

If a judge is unopposed, then they are automatically re-elected in the August primary.

 

 

The judicial information listed under this heading is to help you understand how the courts operate and how they are organized in Florida.

There’s information about judicial elections. When and how often they are held.

How judicial vacancies are filled when a judge resigns or retires before their term is up.

There is also Information about how Florida Supreme Court justices are appointed and retained, and more.

 

If a judge resigns or is removed, (Fired) by the Florida Supreme Court, then Judicial Nominating Commissions (JNCs) select nominees to fill judicial vacancies within the Florida court system.

 

The governor then fills the vacancy by appointing... one of not fewer than three persons nor more than six persons nominated by the appropriate judicial nominating Commission.

 

 

 

 

Florida Judicial

Nominating Commission

 

 

 

 

 

The Florida Judicial Nominating Commissions are 26 separately constituted bodies responsible for providing the governor of Florida with a list of possible appointments to the various state courts (the Florida Supreme Court, the five Florida District Courts of Appeal, and the twenty Florida Circuit Courts). These commissions are required under Article V of the Florida Constitution.

 

 

 

Composition and Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Constitution specifies that "whenever a vacancy occurs in a judicial office to which election for retention applies, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointing... one of not fewer than three persons nor more than six persons nominated by the appropriate judicial nominating Commission".

 This provision applies to Florida Supreme Court justices and Florida District Court judges. The Constitution makes a similar provision for Florida Circuit Court judges, except that such positions are normally filled in elections, and the governor may only step in where there is a vacancy well before the next election. Further provides that "there shall be a separate judicial nominating Commission as provided by general law for the supreme court, each district court of appeal, and each judicial circuit for all trial courts within the circuit", This section requires that the Commissions have uniform rules of procedure, and that their proceedings and records must be open to the public.

The composition of the Commissions is laid out elsewhere in the Constitution, which requires that each Commission be composed of:

a. Three members appointed by the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar from among Florida Bar members who are actively engaged in the practice of law with offices within the territorial jurisdiction of the affected court, district or circuit;

 

b. Three electors who reside in the territorial jurisdiction of the court or circuit appointed by the governor; and

 

c. Three electors who reside in the territorial jurisdiction of the court or circuit and who are not members of the bar of Florida, selected and appointed by a majority vote of the other six members of the Commission.

 

The Constitution prohibits judges and justices from serving on any Commission, and disqualifies Commission members from being appointed to judicial office until two years after they leave the Commission. It also sets the term of office of Commission members at four years.

 

 

 

References

 

1.   Andrew Marra, "Jeb Bush Gets More Say in Judicial Picks", Florida Times-Union (May 5, 2001), A-1.

2.   Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 11 (a).

3.   Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 11 (b).

4.   Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 11 (d).

5.   Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 20 (c)(5).

6.   Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 20 (c)(6).

7.   Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 20 (c)(7).

 

• Kelley Armitage, Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt: A Thorough Review of Judicial Elections, Merit Selection and the Role of State Judges in Society, 29 CAP. U. L. REV. 625 (2002).

• Russell Troutman, Florida Judicial Nominating Commissions, 54 Fla. B. J. 534, 534 (1980).

 

 

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

 

 

 

 

 

We Concentrate On

South Florida Mostly 

Broward County

 

 

 

 

We’re also including information for Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.

The same information may be a little different in other Florida counties, but for the most part should be the same or similar.

 

If you live in one of the counties not listed here, just check with your local clerk of the courts website for information on your judges or Supervisor of Elections for local elections information.

 

You can find information on all Florida Clerks of the court on our Services page or just Click Here!

 

For Supervisor of Elections use one of the links below.

Broward

Miami-Dade

Palm Beach

 

The information includes website links, phone numbers. Email and standard mail addresses.

 

 

 

Questions and answers about Florida Judges and judicial elections

 

 

 

 

Information about how and why judges in Florida are appointed, elected and retained.

What is the difference between a county and circuit court judge and an appellate judge?

Why judicial elections are not held in November during general elections.

What the qualifications are for running for a judicial seat and more.

 

 

County Court Information

 

Complete information by county,

About the court structure

 

 

 

Information about the Circuit, County, Civil, Criminal, Probate and Juvenile courts with a list of all judges in the different divisions and external links to bios and more information about them. Also a downloadable PDF of contact information along with phone numbers, judicial assistant, courtroom number, and current division.

 

Click on one of the links below the county name.