The Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal (DCA) is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida.
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The Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal (DCA) is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida.
In early 2021, then Florida Chief Justice Charles Canady established a 15-person District Court of Appeal Workload and Jurisdiction Assessment Committee to look into justifying a new District Court of Appeal. The last DCA expansion was the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal in 1979. [1] Blaise Trettis, a public defender in Brevard County, served on the Assessment Committee. When the committee looked at yearly case filings, they found that there was “a precipitous decline” [2] in the number of appeals over the years. DCA judges were not overwhelmed, and they were not stating that they were. Trettis and three district court judges wrote a minority report. In it they noted that all five DCA Chief Judges told Canady that no changes were needed. [2]
The ten-member majority determined that there were too few lawyers from Jacksonville on district courts and used that fact to justify their decision. Their opinion stated that adding "at least one" court would “promote public trust and confidence based on geography and demographic composition and help attract a diverse group of well-qualified applicants for judicial vacancies.” [2]
In November 2021, the Florida Supreme Court voted 6–1 to add a new DCA. Justice Ricky Polston dissented, citing no “compelling need” for another court. He commented that adding a 6th DCA “is analogous to rebuilding a ship for what should be swapping out a couple of deck chairs at most.” [2]
The Legislature proposed bill HB 7027, based on the committee's recommendation, which was then passed and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2022, creating the Sixth District Court of Appeal, the first new appellate court since the 1979 creation of the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. The effective date for the creation was January 1, 2023. [1]
The law also realigns four judicial circuits into different, pre-existing districts. The Sixth District Court of Appeal will be composed of cases from the following counties and circuit courts: Orange and Osceola (Ninth Circuit from 5th DCA); Hardee, Highlands and Polk (Tenth Circuit from 2nd DCA); and Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee (Twentieth Circuit from 2nd DCA). [3]
As of January 1, 2023, the Second DCA moved to Tampa and the Sixth DCA occupied the Second DCA's former site in Lakeland. [4] Sixth DCA judges are free to decide every legal issue on their docket without regard to precedent unless the Florida Supreme Court has a binding precedent. While judges in the Ninth, Tenth, and Twentieth Judicial Circuits may need to choose between precedents from any district court of appeal, judges in the Sixth District Court of Appeal have the power to rule in opposition to the ruling of another DCA, or instead of adopting the ruling of another district, they may create new law.. [4]
Judges who have served as Chief Judge of the Sixth DCA include: None
Judges who are currently serving on the Sixth DCA include: [5]
| Name [5] | Appointed | Chief Judge | Current Term Expires | Appointing Governor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meredith L. Sasso | January 2023 | January 1, 2023 – present | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican |
| Jay P. Cohen | January 2023 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| Dan Traver | January 2023 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| John K. Stargel | July 29, 2020 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| Mary Alice Nardella | January 2023 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| Carrie Ann Wozniak | January 2023 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| Keith F. White | January 2023 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| Jared E. Smith | September 2019 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican | |
| Joshua A. Mize | February 2021 | - | Ron DeSantis, Republican |
Senior judges are appointed to temporary judicial duty. Judges who are on senior status at the Sixth DCA include:
Precedent is a principle or rule established in a legal case that becomes authoritative to a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar legal issues or facts. The legal doctrine stating that courts should follow precedent is called stare decisis.
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal judiciary. The courts of appeals are divided into 13 "Circuits". Eleven of the circuits are numbered "First" through "Eleventh" and cover geographic areas of the United States and hear appeals from the U.S. district courts within their borders. The District of Columbia Circuit covers only Washington, DC. The Federal Circuit hears appeals from federal courts across the United States in cases involving certain specialized areas of law. The courts of appeals also hear appeals from some administrative agency decisions and rulemaking, with by far the largest share of these cases heard by the D.C. Circuit. Appeals from decisions of the courts of appeals can be taken to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal appellate court over the following U.S. district courts:
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is one of the 13 United States court of appeals. It has special appellate jurisdiction over certain categories of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court system. Specifically, it has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal cases involving patents, trademark registrations, government contracts, veterans' benefits, public safety officers' benefits, federal employees' benefits, and various other types of cases. The Federal Circuit has no jurisdiction over criminal, bankruptcy, immigration, or U.S. state law cases. It is headquartered at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building in Washington, DC.
The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently six DCAs:
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Jeffrey Stuart Sutton is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the Chief United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Charles Terrance Canady is an American attorney and judge serving on the Supreme Court of Florida since 2008. He previously served as Chief Justice from 2010 to 2012 and from 2018 to 2022.
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The Florida Second District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Tampa, Florida on the campus of Stetson University College of Law. It will move to St. Petersburg when the new Pinellas courthouse is complete.
The Florida Third District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Miami, Florida. Its ten judges have jurisdiction over cases arising from Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.
The Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.
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Oregon's circuit courts are general jurisdiction trial courts of the U.S. state of Oregon. These courts hear civil and criminal court cases.
The Florida State Courts System is the unified state court system of Florida.
Kathryn Kimball Mizelle is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. At age 33, she was the youngest person chosen by President Donald Trump for a lifetime judicial appointment.