Harry Lee Anstead | |
---|---|
Justice of the Florida Supreme Court | |
In office 1994–2009 | |
Nominated by | Florida Judicial Nominating Commission |
Appointed by | Lawton Chiles |
Preceded by | Rosemary Barkett |
Succeeded by | Jorge Labarga |
Personal details | |
Born | Jacksonville,Florida | November 4,1937
Political party | Democrat |
Spouse | Sue Anstead |
Harry Lee Anstead (born November 4,1937) [1] was a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1994 to January 5,2009. He served as chief justice from July 1,2002,until June 30,2004. Prior to his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Lawton Chiles,Anstead served as a judge on Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeals from 1977 to 1994.
Harry Lee Anstead was born on November 4,1937,in Jacksonville,Florida,the youngest of six children. [1] Shortly after he was born,his father deserted the family,and his mother Loretta moved the family into the Brentwood housing project. [2] His mother supported the family working as a clerk for an insurance company,and also made bandages for the Red Cross. [3] All of the children worked to help support the family,with Anstead starting at age 11,delivering groceries,mowing lawns,and later when he was older,working in ship yards,an electrician's helper,a roofer,and a mover. [3] He graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in 1956. [1] He married his wife Sue Anstead,in August 1963,and they have five children. [3] [2]
Anstead attended the University of Florida as an undergraduate and received his law degree from the University of Florida's College of Law,and received his Masters of Law degree from the University of Virginia. He also briefly served with the National Security Agency,before moving back to Florida to attend law school. [3] [2]
Anstead served as a judge on Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeals from 1977 to 1994. [4] He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Lawton Chiles,and served from 1994 to January 2009. [5] He served as chief justice from July 1,2002,until June 30,2004. [4]
His administration as Chief Justice was most noted for its successful implementation of "Revision 7," a constitutional amendment requiring the Florida Legislature to assume most of the cost of local state trial courts. [2] Anstead also authored the majority opinion in Powell v. Allstate Insurance Company,which granted a new trial to black plaintiffs,because the all white jury made disparaging racial jokes in the jury room about the plaintiffs. [2] After the 2000 presidential election,Anstead was one of four justices who voted to order a statewide recount of all undervotes,over 61,000 ballots that the vote tabulation machines had missed. [6] In the aftermath of the court's decision,Florida conservatives criticized him for his liberal "judicial activism",and an organization called "Balance to the Bench" was formed whose aim was to oust Anstead from the court. [7] The initiative was unsuccessful,and he subsequently served as chief justice from 2002 to 2004. [2]
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. was an American politician and military officer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Florida from 1971 to 1989 and as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998.
The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently six DCAs:
The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one is selected at large.
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit.
The government of Florida is established and operated according to the Constitution of Florida and is composed of three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Florida and the other elected and appointed constitutional officers; the legislative branch, the Florida Legislature, consisting of the Senate and House; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Florida and lower courts. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, and ratification.
Rosemary Barkett is a Mexican-American judge of the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal located in The Hague, Netherlands since 2013. Previously, she served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Prior to her nomination for that post, she was chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.
Craig Waters is a former public information officer and communications director for the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee from June 1, 1996, through February 28, 2022. He worked in the open government and First Amendment rights as a lawyer and governmental official. He was also the public spokesman for the Court during the 2000 presidential election controversy. He announced lawsuit rulings regarding Florida's vote in the election.
Major Best Harding is an attorney and former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court by Governor Lawton Chiles in 1991 and served until 2002. His tenure as chief justice lasted from 1998 to June 2000. Prior to being appointed to the Florida Supreme Court, Harding served as a circuit judge for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit and as a Duval County juvenile court judge.
Jorge Labarga is a justice of the Florida Supreme Court, taking office on January 6, 2009. On June 30, 2014, he was sworn in as Florida's 56th Chief Justice and the first Cuban-American to hold the post. He was succeeded on July 1, 2018, by Charles T. Canady.
Stephen Henry "Steve" Grimes was an American lawyer and jurist. He served as a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1987 to 1996, including as chief justice from 1994 until 1996.
Parker Lee McDonald was a justice of the Florida Supreme Court.
Gerald Bard Tjoflat is an American lawyer and Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He previously served as a U.S. district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida from 1970 to 1975 and as a state court judge on the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida from 1968 to 1970.
Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was an American lawyer and judge. He worked in private practice, was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit, and served on the Florida Supreme Court.
Jason Gonzalez is an attorney in Tallahassee, Florida. He is credited with reshaping the Florida Supreme Court while serving as General Counsel to the Governor of Florida. He was the chief advisor to the Governor on the appointment of four Florida Supreme Court Justices. He is a founding shareholder with Lawson Huck Gonzalez, PLLC and handles civil and administrative litigation, appeals, and government affairs.
Charlene Vanessa Edwards Honeywell is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Bonnie Kaslow Roberts was a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1949 to 1976.
Rivers Henderson Buford was an American attorney and politician who served twice as the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.
Leander Jerry Shaw Jr. was an American jurist who served on the Florida Supreme Court from 1983 until 2003. He was chief justice from 1990 to 1992.
Sean Michael Shaw is an American attorney and politician from the State of Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Florida House of Representatives District 61, which includes portions of Hillsborough County in and around Tampa, including Ybor City and Tampa Heights, from 2016 to 2018. Shaw was the Democratic nominee for the 2018 Florida Attorney General election.
Carlos Genaro Muñiz is the chief justice on the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 22, 2019. Previously, he was general Counsel of the United States Department of Education.