Donald Moran

Last updated
Donald Moran
Born (1945-08-02) August 2, 1945 (age 78)
Kentucky, United States
Alma mater University of Kentucky (BA)
University of Florida (JD)
Occupation(s)Attorney, Retired Chief Circuit court judge
Term1977–2014
SpouseElaina Moody (m. 1979)
Children
  • Richard
  • Brendan
  • D'Arcy
  • Donald III
Relatives Maxey Dell Moody Jr.
(father-in-law)

Donald Richard Moran, Jr. (born August 2, 1945) is a former lawyer and judge in the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Florida for 41 years, including 21 years as chief judge, the longest tenure in Florida history. [1] He was an early advocate of diversion programs for people with substance abuse and directed hundreds of people into treatment rather than jail. [1]

Contents

Personal life

Moran was born in 1945 and raised in Kentucky, receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky at Lexington in 1968. [2] He has a Juris Doctor degree from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 1973. [3] Moran was admitted to the Florida Bar on October 18, 1973. [4] [5]

Judge Moran married Elaina Moody, daughter of Maxey Dell Moody Jr., in 1979 and they had four children: Richard, Brendan, D'Arcy and Donald III. They reside on the St. Johns River in San Marco. [6] [ failed verification ]

Their youngest child, Donald III, was severely injured and paralyzed below the waist in 2008 after rolling his truck and being ejected. He was charged with driving under the influence following the accident. He was semi-conscious when police found him on the grass near his vehicle. Police do not believe Moran was wearing a seat belt. His blood alcohol level was at least twice the legal limit of 0.08. Donald III was previously arrested in 2007 on a DUI charge after being stopped by police in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. [7]

His oldest son Richard was arrested in 2012 after he resisted arrest and threatened an officer's job. Duval County prosecutors dropped all charges against Richard after he completed a diversionary program. [8]

On July 14, 2019, Moran's daughter D'Arcy Freeman died at 37 years old. [9]

Career

Moran served as an Assistant State Attorney from 1973 to 1977, then a Duval County Court Judge from 1977 to 1983. He was appointed to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in 1983 by Governor Bob Graham prior to his appointment as Chief Judge in 1993. In that position, he administered the county and circuit court systems in Duval, Clay and Nassau counties. According to The Florida Times-Union, "[h]e was also responsible for the court budget, judicial assignments and courthouse rules." [10] He was also active in drug legislation and adjudication, chairing the Florida Drug Courts Steering Committee and serving as a judge for both the adult drug court (1994–2010) and the juvenile drug court (February 1997 – January 1999), which he founded. A director for the National Metropolitan Courts, he also served as its president. He represented the state of Florida for the Judicial Conference of the United States beginning July 1, 2000. Judge Moran was named 2003 “Jurist of the Year” by the Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. [11]

Legal offices
Preceded by Chief Judge,
4th Judicial Circuit
1993–2014		Succeeded by

New Duval Courthouse

The Chief Judge has long been a vocal proponent of a new Duval County Courthouse. In January 1998, he announced that a new facility would be necessary within the next decade. [12] According to Judge Moran, "You don't just build a courthouse overnight. It takes a lot of planning and projections, so that hopefully the new building will last for another 45 or 50 years." [12]

Just two years later, the city responded with the 2000 Better Jacksonville Plan (BJP). A new $190 million courthouse was the biggest ticket item of the $2.25 billion package of projects that voters funded with a half-cent sales tax increase. Construction bids were far higher than expected, forcing some planned facility features to be cut. Moran was critical of many of the proposed modifications, arguing that small immediate savings would result in higher expenditures in the near future or the structure opening at full capacity, requiring an immediate need for expansion. [13]

In 2005, in spite of judicial “bluster and arm-twisting”, as Ron Littlepage of the Florida Times-Union described it, Mayor Peyton announced a plan to build a separate criminal courthouse downtown to save money. Judge Moran spoke to the Jacksonville City Council on August 9, 2005, and stated that rather than agree to Peyton's plan, the judges would prefer to remain where they were. Moran also complained that the courthouse project was being cheated because the mayor wanted to move several million dollars of BJP money to other projects. Moran complained that "his relationship with the Peyton administration is 'adversarial in all respects.'" [14] The judge told a newspaper reporter that the city should "do nothing until money is available to do a new courthouse right." [14]

In another opinion piece, Littlepage indicated that Moran threatened to have the state force Peyton to build a $400 million courthouse, which he felt it was unlikely to do, but the mayor abandoned his split courthouse proposal. [15] On April 22, 2008, Peyton and Moran came together to urge the Jacksonville City Council to approve a $350 million county courthouse complex, which they did. [16] The complex could be open by June 30, 2011, when Peyton leaves office.

Domestic violence investigation

During the evening of September 24, 2007, Elaina Moran called 911.

"I witnessed spattered spots of blood on the victim's white shirt and on her hair.... [s]he punched her husband or threw something at him.

Investigating officers noted that Moran and his wife had both been drinking. On September 26, 2007, Judge Moran appointed Circuit Judge Charles O. Mitchell Jr. as acting chief judge while the police investigation was taking place, to prevent any appearance of impropriety.

During his interview, Moran told police that his wife had not only consumed a large quantity of wine, but was also under medication prescribed for depression.

It was the opinion of the investigators that an arrest warrant should be issued for Elaina Moran on charges of domestic battery and falsifying a police report, [17] but on Friday, September 28, State Attorney Harry Shorstein announced that no charges would be filed against either Moran. While Shorstein agreed with investigators in clearing Moran, he opted not to prosecute Elaina Moran both because the level of violence did not seem to him to warrant prosecution and because he feared prosecuting her might "discourage true domestic violence victims from coming forward out of fear that they could be accused of lying and possibly prosecuted", a concern Siler acknowledged to be legitimate. [18] Shorstein, long acquainted with the Morans, denied special handling of the case, but acknowledged that "many residents called his office...suggesting he'd shown favoritism toward Judge Moran," who had made known his wish that his wife not be prosecuted. [18]

Judge Moran returned to work on Monday, October 1, after he was cleared of all charges. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duval County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Duval County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of July 2022, the population was 1,016,536, up from 864,263 in 2010. It is Florida's sixth-most populous county. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968. Duval County was established in 1822, and is named for William Pope Duval, Governor of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1834. Duval County is the central county of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida</span> United States federal district court in Florida

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas</span>

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the southeastern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Texas, and has six additional locations in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Hammond</span> American football player, lawyer, judge

Kim Crane Hammond was a judge in Flagler County, Florida and was a quarterback for Florida State University. For Seminole fans, he is best remembered for quarterbacking the team's first victory over rival Florida in Gainesville, 21–16. Hammond died on Sunday, July 16, 2017, after suffering from illnesses for several years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Austin</span> American politician and lawyer

T. Edward "Ed" Austin Jr. was an American politician and attorney. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1991 to 1995. He also served as the first Public Defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit from 1963 to 1968, and served as State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit from 1969 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1991. Austin was a Democrat for most of his career, but switched parties to become a Republican during his term as mayor, becoming the first Republican to serve in that position since the Reconstruction era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida First District Court of Appeal</span>

The Florida First District Court of Appeal, also known as the First DCA, is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, the state capital. It is unique among the six Florida District Courts of Appeal in that, much like the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit at the federal level, it handles most of the appeals in state administrative law matters. It is also solely responsible for handling appeals in workers' compensation cases. It is the Court of Appeals for 29 Florida counties, covering the Panhandle as well as the north-central parts of the state. The First DCA includes the following: First Circuit ; Second Circuit ; Third Circuit ; Eighth Circuit ; and Fourteenth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan H. Black</span> American judge (born 1943)

Susan Sims Harrell Black is an American lawyer who serves as a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She was a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She was the first female federal court judge in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Mahon (politician)</span> American politician

Mark Mahon is a former Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. As of July 2015, he is the Chief Judge of Florida's 4th Circuit Court. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Harry L. Shorstein is an American lawyer who served as State Attorney for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, covering Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, from 1991–2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed to the post in 1991 by Governor Lawton Chiles to fill the remaining term of Ed Austin, who resigned to successfully run for mayor of Jacksonville. He was elected to a full term in 1992, re-elected in 1996, and ran unopposed in 2000 and 2004. At a February 6, 2007 news conference, the 66-year-old lawyer announced that he would not run for re-election in 2008. He subsequently returned to private practice, and was succeeded as State Attorney by Angela Corey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duval County Courthouse</span> Building in Florida, United States

The Duval County Courthouse is the local courthouse for Duval County, Florida. It houses courtrooms and judges from the Duval County and Fourth Judicial Circuit Courts. The new facility is located Downtown Jacksonville, Florida; it was built starting in 2009 and opened in 2012.

John Milton Bryan Simpson was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Lee Adams Jr.</span> American judge (born 1945)

Henry Lee Adams Jr. is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

KBJ Architects, Inc. (KBJ) is an American architectural firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm designed 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings and "created Jacksonville's modern skyline", according to The Florida Times-Union newspaper. The firm designed the first high-rise in downtown Jacksonville, the 22-story Aetna Building, which opened in 1955. It took pride in "having the second-largest number of architects of any Florida firm", according to a 1997 article in The Florida Times-Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenton Butler case</span> Murder case in Jacksonville, Florida

The Brenton Butler case was a murder case in Jacksonville, Florida. During the investigation of a shooting death outside a motel in 2000, police arrested 15-year-old Brenton Butler and charged him with the murder. Butler subsequently confessed to the crime, and the case went to trial. However, during the trial he testified that he had been brutalized into his confession, and he was acquitted. The case gained significant notice in the media, and became the subject of an award-winning documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Jacksonville</span>

The government of Jacksonville is organized under the city charter and provides for a "strong" mayor–council system. The most notable feature of the government in Jacksonville, Florida, is that it is consolidated with Duval County, which the jurisdictions agreed to in the 1968 Jacksonville Consolidation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Corey</span> American attorney

Angela Corey is a former Florida State's Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Duval, Nassau and Clay counties—including Jacksonville and the core of its metropolitan area. She was elected in 2008 as the first woman to hold the position, and was defeated on August 30, 2016 by Melissa Nelson, the second woman to hold the position. Corey was catapulted into the national spotlight on March 22, 2012, when Florida Governor Rick Scott announced that she would be the newly assigned State Attorney investigating the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Shirk</span> American lawyer

Matthew Aaron Shirk is an American lawyer and served as the public defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit. He was elected to the position, which covers Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties, in 2008 and lost re-election in 2016. He is currently under investigation by the Florida Bar for actions while in office. In August 2022 the Florida Supreme Court unanimously approved suspending Shirk from practicing law for one year.

Bill White is an American lawyer who served as Public Defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit, which covers Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties. White was elected to the position in 2004, after serving as Chief Assistant Public Defender under his predecessor Lou Frost since 1976. White served as elected Public Defender from January 2005 to January 2009.

Louis O'Melville "Lou" Frost, Jr. was an American lawyer who served for 36 years as the elected public defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit, which consists of Duval, Nassau, and Clay counties. He was a local legal institution who nurtured the careers of hundreds of young lawyers, with two dozen appointed to state and federal judgeships, and one seated on the Florida Supreme Court.

References

  1. 1 2 Hannan, Larry (5 December 2014). "Retiring Chief Judge Moran honored by friends, family and colleagues". Florida Times Union. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Duval County Judges' Biographies". Offices > Fourth Judicial Circuit Court > Duval County. Official Website of the City of Jacksonville, Florida. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Florida Statewide Drug Control Summit: BIOGRAPHIES OF SPEAKERS AND ROUNDTABLE GUESTS". The Florida Senate. February 12, 1999. Archived from the original on February 25, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Donald Richard Moran, Jr". Directories > Find a Lawyer (Member Search). The Florida Bar. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Donald Richard Moran Jr". Home / Directories / Lawyer Directory / Member Profile. The Florida Bar. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ "MORAN DONALD R JR" Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine Duval County Property Appraiser
  7. ↑ Schoettler, Jim (September 8, 2009). "Chief judge's son pleads not guilty to DUI charges". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  8. ↑ Davis, Clifford; Hannan, Larry (May 9, 2012). "Charges against Judge Moran's son dropped after he completes community service | Jacksonville.com Mobile Edition". Jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Obituary for D'Arcy (Moran) Freeman". Wood Funeral Home & Crematory. August 23, 2019 [July 15, 2019]. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Florida Times-Union: September 25, 2007– Chief Judge Donald Moran under investigation for domestic battery by Jim Schoettler". Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Previous Award Recipients: FLABOTA Award Recipients: Jurist of the Year Recipients". Florida Chapters American Board of Trial Advocates. Jacksonville, FL. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 2003 Judge Donald R. Moran, 4th Circuit
  12. 1 2 "Florida Times-Union: January 30, 1998-Judge: Plan for new Duval courthouse now by Karen Rivedal". Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  13. ↑ Palka, Mary Kelli:"Judges critique courthouse cuts; some could cost city more" Archived 2011-08-12 at the Wayback Machine Florida Times-Union, August 6, 2003
  14. 1 2 "Florida times-Union: August 11, 2005– Judges have right idea; just renovate courthouse By RON LITTLEPAGE". Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Florida times-Union: December 6, 2007-Sheriff's big wish better kept to himself – or Santa By RON LITTLEPAGE". Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  16. ↑ Kormanik, Beth: "Courthouse project approved" Florida Times-Union, April 23, 2008
  17. 1 2 WJXT News: September 27, 2007-Judge's Wife Admits She Lied, May Be Charged Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  18. 1 2 "Florida Times-Union: September 29, 2007-No charges in Moran case, Shorstein says by Jim Schoettler". Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.