Dorothy Comstock Riley was a lawyer and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan,serving on the Michigan Supreme Court and the first woman to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals. She was the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the Supreme Court of any state.
The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently six DCAs:
Barbara Joan Pariente is an attorney and jurist from Florida. She was chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court from July 1,2004,until June 30,2006. Pariente is the second woman to hold the position of chief justice and served on the court from 1997 to 2019. From 1993 to 1997 she was a judge on Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeal.
John D. Minton Jr. is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court from 2008 to 2023. Minton was elected to the Supreme Court on July 24,2006,to fill a vacancy created by Justice William S. Cooper,who retired on June 30,2006. On the retirement of Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert,Minton was elected by his fellow justices to replace him. He was sworn in as chief justice on June 27,2008.
Ricky L. Polston is an American lawyer who served as a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 2008 to 2023. He served as the chief justice of the court from July 2012 to June 2014. He is a graduate of Florida State University College of Law.
George Stephen LeMieux is an American former politician who was a United States Senator from Florida from 2009 to 2011. He is chairman of the Florida-based law firm of Gunster Yoakley &Stewart and was chief of staff to Governor Charlie Crist. He was the Deputy Florida Attorney General and is credited with spearheading Crist's successful campaign for governor. In 2009,Crist appointed LeMieux as U.S. Senator to replace Mel Martínez,who resigned.
Joseph Abruzzo is a Democratic politician from Florida. He serves as the Clerk of the Circuit Court &Comptroller for Palm Beach County,an independently elected office established by Florida’s Constitution.
Shutts &Bowen LLP is an AmLaw 200 law firm with 270 attorneys in seven offices in the state of Florida. Shutts &Bowen was founded in 1910. Frank B. Shutts came to Miami in 1909 and became the legal representative of Henry Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway Company. In 1910,he formed a professional association with Henry F. Atkinson.
James E. C. Perry is an American judge. He is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Barbara Lagoa is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Prior to becoming a federal judge,she was the first Latina and Cuban American woman appointed to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
The Florida State Courts System is the unified state court system of Florida.
David M. Kerner currently serves as the executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. He is the former county mayor and a county commissioner for,Palm Beach County and a former Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives. He is a sworn law enforcement officer and is a former special prosecutor. He also is a practicing complex litigation trial attorney in West Palm Beach,Florida,and is known as a leader on issues relating to constitutional law,criminal law,judicial issues,and law enforcement issues. He lives in Lake Worth Beach,.
Jeffrey Vincent Brown is a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and a former justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He was appointed to the U.S. District Court by President Donald Trump.
James Elliott Alderman served a six-year term as justice for the Florida Supreme Court from 1978 to 1985,retiring after a personal tragedy forced his return home to tend the family business. Alderman's term notably came about as one of the first appointed justices after an amendment abolished direct elections for vacancies. He died in Vero Beach,Florida,on June 10,2021.
Florida Amendment 4,also the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative,is an amendment to the Constitution of Florida passed by ballot initiative on November 6,2018,as part of the 2018 Florida elections. The proposition restored the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation. The amendment does not apply to Floridians convicted of murder or sexual offenses.
Renatha Sian Francis is an American lawyer who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Florida since 2022. She previously served as a circuit judge in Palm Beach County from 2019 to 2022.
A general election was held on Tuesday,November 8,2022,to elect candidates throughout Florida,as part of the 2022 midterm elections. The results of the elections showed strong Republican Party outcomes as nearly every Republican candidate won in a landslide. As a result,Republicans now control every statewide office in the state for the first time since Reconstruction. Political analysts believe the results may be an indication that the state has transitioned from being a swing state into a reliably Republican red state.
