Mark Walker | |
---|---|
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida | |
Assumed office June 23, 2018 | |
Preceded by | M. Casey Rodgers |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida | |
Assumed office December 7,2012 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Stephan P. Mickle |
Personal details | |
Born | Mark Eaton Walker 1967 (age 56–57) Winter Garden,Florida,U.S. |
Education | University of Florida (BA,JD) |
Mark Eaton Walker (born 1967) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
Born in Winter Garden,Florida,he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1989,graduating first in his class. [1] He received his Juris Doctor from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 1992, magna cum laude . From 1983 to 1993,during high school and during breaks in the academic year in college,Walker worked at a Winn-Dixie,the same store where his father worked. [2] Walker identified his experience working at Winn-Dixie as "the job that,more than any other,helped prepare him to be a lawyer and interact with people." [2] After graduating from law school second in his class,he clerked for Judge Emmett Ripley Cox of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 1993 to 1994. [1] He clerked for Justice Stephen H. Grimes of the Florida Supreme Court from 1994 to 1996. [1] He clerked for Judge Robert Hinkle of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida from 1996 to 1997. [1] In July 1997 he spent a short period in private practice,but soon left to work as an assistant public defender for Florida's second judicial circuit. [1] He served as an assistant public defender from 1997 to 1999. [1] He worked in private practice from 1999 to 2009 specializing in civil litigation and criminal defense. [1] From 2009 to 2012,he served as a state circuit judge in Tallahassee. [3] [4]
On February 16,2012,President Barack Obama nominated Walker to serve as United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. [3] He replaced Judge Stephan P. Mickle,who assumed senior status in 2011. His nomination was reported out of committee on June 7,2012 by a voice vote,with one senator voting "nay". [5] The United States Senate confirmed Walker on December 6,2012 by a 94–0 vote. [6] He received his commission on December 7,2012. [4] He became chief judge in June 2018. [4]
In January 2018,Walker ruled against Florida and ordered Florida governor Rick Scott to restore the voting rights of felons after their release from prison. [7]
In July 2018,Walker invalidated as unconstitutional Florida's total prohibition on early voting sites on college and university campuses. [8] Walker determined the prohibition violated the First,Fourteenth,and Twenty-Sixth Amendments and the law revealed a "stark pattern of discrimination" against younger voters. Consequently,in the 2018 midterms,nearly 60,000 people voted at the on-campus early voting locations. [9]
Walker ordered the Florida Department of Corrections to continue providing a transgender woman prisoner with hormone treatment and ordered them to provide her with women's undergarments and grooming products. [10] The prisoner was diagnosed with gender dysphoria but has been housed in a male-only correctional facility. Walker's ruling was ultimately reversed by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. [11]
In September 2018,Walker decided another significant voting rights case,in which he granted a preliminary injunction against the Florida secretary of state,directing him to ensure that Spanish speaking voters have access to ballots in the Spanish language for the November 2018 elections. [12] This decision,made on the basis of Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act,was especially critical,as Florida was grappling with a recent influx of Puerto Ricans fleeing the aftermath of 2017's Hurricane Maria.
After the 2018 midterms,Walker ruled in favor of then-governor Rick Scott who oversaw the state's ongoing recount in which he was a candidate for U.S. Senate. “Though sometimes careening perilously close to a due process violation,Scott’s most questionable conduct has occurred in his capacity as a candidate rather than as governor," Walker wrote. Though Scott's actions were “reckless and haphazard“and “Scott has toed the line between imprudent campaign-trail rhetoric and problematic state action. But he has not crossed that line." [13]
On September 9,2021,Walker blocked Florida's anti-riot law as a violation of the First Amendment. [14]
In another free speech case,on January 4,2022,Walker refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by professors at the University of Florida after the University tried to stop them from testifying in a voting rights lawsuit. [15]
The ruling eventually blocked the law as incompatible with the First Amendment. [16]
On March 30,2022,Walker ruled that Florida Senate Bill 90 violated the Voting Rights Act,issued a permanent injunction against the law’s restrictions on absentee ballot drop boxes,and required Florida to obtain preclearance from federal courts before enacting election laws. [17] [18] [19]
In an outline of the legislative history of the bill,Walker wrote,"And the exact justification for SB 90 as a whole,and for its constituent parts,is difficult to pin down,with sponsors and supporters offering conflicting or nonsensical rationales." [20]
On May 5,2022,the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted Walker's order,pending appeal:"The lower court’s ruling relying on an analysis of racism in Florida’s history is 'problematic,' and 'failed to properly account for what might be called the presumption of legislative good faith,' according to the order issued Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Additionally,the state has 'a substantial argument' that another provision in the law governing 'line warming' activities outside polling places 'passes constitutional muster,' though the lower court found it to be 'unconstitutionally vague and overbroad,' according to the order. The court also noted the next statewide election is in August,while local elections are ongoing—too close for interfering with state laws administering elections,the judges wrote." The appeals court did not reach the merits,which will be decided in the main appeal. [21]
On July 3,2023,Judge Walker granted a preliminary injunction against SB 7020,a Florida law that barred non-citizens from handling or collecting voter registration forms,and third-party voter registration groups from retaining personal information collected when registering new voters. [22]
In October 2024,the Florida Department of Health threatened to bring criminal charges against local TV stations for airing an advertisement in support of Amendment 4—a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the Florida legislature from restricting abortion before fetal viability—which it claimed to contain false information regarding current state law. The health department sent out cease-and-desist letters and contracted for $1.4 million with two law firms to pursue litigation against the stations,claiming that the ads constitute a "sanitary nuisance" because it ""threatens or impairs"" the health of Florida residents. In response,a lawsuit was filed by Floridians Protecting Freedom,the group that organized the amendment's ballot initiative. [23] [24]
Judge Walker issued a temporary restraining order against the Florida Department of Health. In his written opinion,he heavily condemned the health department's decision,commenting "it's the First Amendment,stupid". [25]
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,Inc. is an American civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City.
William Holcombe Pryor Jr. is an American lawyer who has served as the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit since 2020. He was appointed as a United States circuit judge of the court by President George W. Bush in 2004. He is a former commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission. Previously,he was the attorney general of Alabama,from 1997 to 2004.
Jennifer Walker Elrod is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the chief United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She previously served as a state court judge on the 190th District Court of Texas from 2002 to 2007.
Stanley Marcus is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Lynn Steven Adelman is an American lawyer,judge,and former politician. He has served as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin,since December 1997. Earlier in his career,he served 20 years in the Wisconsin State Senate,representing southwest Milwaukee County and neighboring municipalities.
Andrew Scott Hanen is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Adalberto Jose Jordan is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law,his alma mater,and at Florida International University's College of Law. In February 2016,The New York Times identified Jordan as a potential Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. In early March,Jordan removed himself from consideration.
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.
Jill Anne Pryor is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Pryor was born in Harrisburg,Pennsylvania.
Shelby County v. Holder,570 U.S. 529 (2013),is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the constitutionality of two provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965:Section 5,which requires certain states and local governments to obtain federal preclearance before implementing any changes to their voting laws or practices;and subsection (b) of Section 4,which contains the coverage formula that determines which jurisdictions are subject to preclearance based on their histories of racial discrimination in voting.
Jane Louise Kelly is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Elizabeth Lee "Lisa" Branch is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She was a judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2018.
Felony disenfranchisement in Florida is currently a contentious political issue in Florida. Though the general principle of felony disenfranchisement is not in dispute,the disenfranchisement of people who had been convicted of a felony and have served their sentence —that includes prison,bail and parole —but continue being barred from voting if they have outstanding fines,fees or restitution obligations is in contention. Prior to January 8,2019,when Amendment 4 came into effect,people convicted of a felony effectively lost their right to vote for life,as it could only be restored by the governor as an act of clemency,which rarely occurred. Florida was one of four states with a lifetime ban,the others being Iowa,Kentucky and Virginia.
Florida Amendment 4,also the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative,is an amendment to the constitution of the U.S. state 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.
Ashley Brooke Moody is an American attorney and politician serving as the attorney general of Florida since January 2019. Moody previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney and a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County.
Robert Joshua Luck is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He was a justice of the Florida Supreme Court in 2019. A Miami native,he previously served as an assistant United States attorney and as a judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and then the Florida Third District Court of Appeal.
John Leonard Badalamenti is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Illinois on November 8,2022. The elections for United States Senate and United States House of Representatives,Governor,statewide constitutional officers,Illinois Senate,and Illinois House were held on this date.
Nancy Gbana Abudu is an American lawyer from Georgia who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Redistricting in Georgia is the process by which boundaries are redrawn for federal congressional and state legislative districts. Since statehood,redistricting in Georgia has been carried out by the Georgia General Assembly. It has historically been highly controversial. Critics have accused legislators of attempting to protect themselves from competition by gerrymandering districts.