Pinellas Midterm Vote with Judges Explained (2023)

FAQs

Do you vote on judges in Florida? ›

Why am I being asked to vote on judges? A. Florida law requires Florida Supreme Court justices and appeals court judges to be placed on the ballot in nonpartisan elections every six years so voters can determine whether they should remain on their courts for another six-year term.

Additionally, Florida Supreme Court justices and District Courts of Appeal judges are appointed by the governor and then run in merit retention elections to stay in office.

Cohen. Judge Cohen was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in January 2008 and served as its Chief Judge from January 2017 through December 2018. Previously he had spent eighteen years as a trial court judge in the Ninth Circuit (Orange and Osceola Counties).

Governor Lawton Chiles, Jr., appointed Judge Northcutt to the Second District for a term beginning January 6, 1997. The voters of the district retained him in office in the general elections of 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016. Judge Northcutt was the Second District's chief judge from July 2007 through June 2009.

Jury verdicts are statements of the community. Therefore they are given great respect. Furthermore in a criminal case, a judge cannot overturn a verdict of not guilty as that would violate a defendant's 5th amendment right. To overturn a guilty verdict there must be clear evidence that offers reasonable doubt.

In accordance with Supreme Court protocol, the most junior Justice casts the first vote, followed by the others in ascending order of seniority. The Chief Justice may cast the final vote or abstain. For purposes of this simulation it is acceptable if there is a tie.

The Florida Court System

County and circuit court judges are elected. District court judges and Supreme Court justices are appointed by the Governor. However, when a judicial vacancy occurs on a county or circuit court, the Governor appoints a successor.

Answer: The court randomly assigns a district and magistrate judge to each case, using an automated case-management system.

Membership, qualifications

Superior court judges serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters on a nonpartisan ballot at a general election. Vacancies are filled through appointment by the Governor.

Judge Mary Alice “Molly” Nardella joined the Fifth District Court of Appeal in January 2021, after being appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Judge Nardella was born and raised in Orlando, Florida.

Who appointed judge Joel Cohen? ›

Lawrence K. Marks, Chief Administrative Judge of the State of New York. Prior to this, Justice Cohen was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims by Governor Andrew Cuomo during that same year.

But it went further than that. Veterans Stadium was also outfitted with a courtroom, where Judge Seamus Patrick McCaffery and volunteer judges would be ready on game days to handle fans who were detained by security. The fans were taken to Eagles Court, where they would sit in a holding cell and wait for sentencing.

After an initial one-year assignment in Pinellas County, he served in Pasco County until his appointment to the Second District Court of Appeal in February 2003 by Governor Jeb Bush.

Elena Kagan nomination

On May 10, 2010, Obama nominated Elena Kagan, the Solicitor General of the United States, to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. Solicitor General Elena Kagan was confirmed by the Senate by a 63–37 vote.

The short answer is “yes” if you are asking for the right reasons. Asking a judge to remove him or herself from a case is called a “recusal.”

Currently, Florida's death penalty statute allows judges to override death sentences and give life terms, but does not let them override life sentences in favor of death.

The death penalty can only be imposed on defendants convicted of capital offenses – such as murder, treason, genocide, or the killing or kidnapping of a Congressman, the President, or a Supreme Court justice. Unlike other punishments, a jury must decide whether to impose the death penalty.

The “rule of four” is the Supreme Court's practice of granting a petition for review only if there are at least four votes to do so. The rule is an unwritten internal one; it is not dictated by any law or the Constitution.

Court can declare a law unconstitutional; allowing Congress to override Supreme Court decisions; imposing new judicial ethics rules for Justices; and expanding transparency through means such as allowing video recordings of Supreme Court proceedings.

How many justices need to agree to make a decision? ›

According to these rules, four of the nine Justices must vote to accept a case. Five of the nine Justices must vote in order to grant a stay, e.g., a stay of execution in a death penalty case.

Created in 1966 by amendment of the Florida Constitution, the Judicial Qualifications Commission ("JQC") is an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct and disability by all judges within the state of Florida.

The Constitution provides that a circuit court shall be established to serve each judicial circuit established by the Legislature, of which there are twenty. Within each circuit, there may be any number of judges, depending upon the population and caseload of the particular area.

The commission submits a list of three to six nominees to the governor, and the governor must then appoint a judge from the list. Newly appointed judges serve for at least one year, after which they appear in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms.

Many people have their cases dismissed during the pretrial phase. That dismissal may not necessarily be from a judge, rather it's a Nolle Prosse (State's Dismissal). There are certain instances when a judge can throw out a case.

Jury cases — 18 months (filing to final disposition) Non-jury cases — 12 months (filing to final disposition) Small claims — 95 days (filing to final disposition) (C) Domestic Relations. Uncontested — 90 days (filing to final disposition) Contested — 180 days (filing to final disposition) (D) Probate.

while any cause before the judge remains pending and undetermined for 90 days after it has been submitted for decision." For several reasons, however, this does not mean that a decision is guaranteed to issue on or before the 90th day after submission.

Superior court judges serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters on a nonpartisan ballot at a general election during even-numbered years. Vacancies occurring during those terms—due to retirements, deaths, or other departures—are filled through appointment by the Governor.

Judges and Justices serve no fixed term — they serve until their death, retirement, or conviction by the Senate. By design, this insulates them from the temporary passions of the public, and allows them to apply the law with only justice in mind, and not electoral or political concerns.

Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, as stated in the Constitution.

Who appoints magistrate judges in Florida? ›

Magistrate Judges are selected by the district judges upon recommendation by a Merit Selection Panel. They are then appointed to serve for a period of eight years after which they may request consideration for reappointment.

Political aspirations

Shanley, who had 36%, and Morris, whose 70,000 votes represented more than 20% of the primary votes. As a resident of Texas, Morris ran for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in both 1964 and 1970, being defeated both times by George Herbert Walker Bush, a Massachusetts native.

Judge Kelsey applied five times for the position, sometimes never emerging from the judicial nominating commission process, before Governor Scott finally appointed her in April 2015.

She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Southwestern Law School. Cohen fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Sunshine Sykes to the federal bench. She is a Democrat.

Presiding Justice Stewart was appointed to the First Appellate District in June 2014 by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. She was appointed presiding justice of Division Two by Governor Gavin Newsom and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments in November 2022.

Groban was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown (D) in 2018 to succeed former Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar. The California Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed Groban's nomination on December 21, 2018.

They installed a jail and judge at the old Eagles Stadium (Veterans Field) after a game against the 49ers in 1997. The Eagles were losing, and a fan pulled out a flare gun and fired it across the stadium at 49ers fans. Judge Seamus McCaffery presided over the ad hoc court at the stadium for years.

Nicholas John Sirianni (born June 15, 1981) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).

Ross L. Bilbrey was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal on December 23, 2014, by Governor Rick Scott and took office January 6, 2015. Previously he was a circuit court judge for the Florida First Judicial Circuit. He took the circuit bench in July 2012 following his appointment by Governor Rick Scott.

Who appointed judge Bobby Long? ›

Judge Robert “Bobby” E. Long, Jr., was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal on June 10th, 2020, by Governor Ron DeSantis. Prior to joining the Court of Appeal, Judge Long served as a trial court judge on Florida's Second Judicial Circuit Court.

Ricky Polston is a justice on the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court on October 2, 2008, by Governor Charlie Crist. Polston was retained by voters on November 2, 2010, and again on November 8, 2016. His current term expires in 2023.

George Washington holds the record for most Supreme Court nominations, with 14 nominations (12 of which were confirmed). Four presidents—William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Johnson, and Jimmy Carter—did not make any nominations, as there were no vacancies while they were in office.

The average age of new appointees to full-time magistrate judge positions was 50 years. The average age of new appointees to part-time magistrate judge positions was 61 years. New full-time appointees on average had 23 years of bar membership; new part-time magistrate judges on average had 34 years of bar membership.

In total Bush appointed 327 Article III federal judges, including 2 Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States (including one Chief Justice), 62 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals, 261 judges to the United States district courts and 2 judges to the United States Court of International Trade.

Partisan elections are held to select most or all judges in 13 States and for some judges in an additional 8 States. Nonpartisan elections are held to select most or all judges in 17 States and for some judges in an additional 3 States. One-half of the States hold elections for State supreme court judges.

Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, as stated in the Constitution.

Who votes for the judge? ›

Superior court judges serve six-year terms and are elected by county voters on a nonpartisan ballot at a general election during even-numbered years. Vacancies occurring during those terms—due to retirements, deaths, or other departures—are filled through appointment by the Governor.

Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate. Judges and Justices serve no fixed term — they serve until their death, retirement, or conviction by the Senate.

The justices have full discretion over whether to review the ruling, formally known as granting the petition for certiorari — or granting cert, for short. Four justices must vote to grant cert for the Supreme Court to hear the case. Thousands of cert petitions are filed each term, and the vast majority are denied.

Supreme Court Nominations

The Supreme Court is the Nation's highest court. Eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice comprise the membership of the Court. Like all Federal judges, Supreme Court Justices serve lifetime appointments on the Court, in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges, who are appointed for life during good behavior. They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally).

Full Senate. Once the committee reports out the nomination, it is put before the full Senate for final consideration. A simple majority vote is required to confirm or to reject a nominee. Historically, such rejections are relatively uncommon.

The president has the power to nominate the justices and appointments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate. You can search for Supreme Court cases on Findlaw . Interested in related materials?

In the Senate, a blue slip is an opinion written by a senator from the state where a federal judicial nominee resides. Both senators from a nominee's state are sent a blue slip in which they may submit a favorable or unfavorable opinion of a nominee. They may also choose not to return a blue slip.