JNC to interview 59 to fill Supreme Court vacancies
JNC to interview 59 to fill Supreme Court vacancies
The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission is set to interview 59 Florida lawyers to replace retiring Justices Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis, and Peggy Quince.
The Supreme Court JNC will meet November 3-4 in Miami to begin the interview process, and will resume interviews in Tampa on November 8-9.
The interview schedule and locations are listed below. This schedule will position the Supreme Court JNC to certify nominations at the earliest on November 10 or sometime thereafter.
The JNC set the schedule before the Supreme Court on October 15 granted a quo warranto petition saying Gov. Rick Scott, who requested nominations by November 10, cannot fill the vacancies unless one of the three justices leaves early or his successor fails to take the oath and file the necessary paperwork to begin his term the moment January 8 begins. (See story, here.)
It also said the list could not be submitted until Scott’s replacement has 60 days to consider the nominations, although it left open the question — for a November 8 oral argument — on when the JNC could certify its choices.
Tallahassee attorney John Mills, who represented the parties seeking the quo warranto petition, said in light of the order, the JNC should slow down its process and take more applications. JNC Chair Jason Unger, though, said the interview schedule would remain unchanged.
One appointment must come from the jurisdiction of the Third District Court of Appeal, which means only the 11 applicants residing in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties are eligible. The remaining two vacancies are for statewide seats.
The Miami interviews will be conducted at the Miami International Airport Hotel. Those scheduled for 30-minute interviews on November 3 include:
• Miami-Dade County Judge Alexander Bokor
• Miami attorney Amy Boulris
• First Circuit Judge-elect Jeffrey Burns
• 15th Circuit Judge Howard Coates
• Miami attorney John Couriel
• 19th Circuit Judge Cynthia Cox
• First Circuit Judge James Duncan
• Ft. Lauderdale attorney Manuel Farach
• Fourth DCA Chief Judge Jonathan Gerber
• Coral Cables attorney Edward Guedes
• Palm Beach County Judge Bradley Harper
• First Circuit Judge Terrance Ketchel
• Fourth DCA Judge Mark Klingensmith
• Fourth DCA Judge Jeffrey Kuntz
• 20th Circuit Judge Bruce Kyle
Those set to be interviewed November 4 in Miami include:
• Third DCA Judge Barbara Lagoa
• Third DCA Judge Norma Lindsey
• Third DCA Judge Robert Luck
• Palm Beach Gardens attorney Mark Miller
• Tallahassee Attorney Carlos Muniz
• Miami Attorney Hayden O’Byrne
• 19th Circuit Judge William Roby
• 15th Circuit Judge Cymonie Rowe
• Ft. Lauderdale attorney Leonard Samuels
• Third DCA Judge Edwin Scales
• 17th Circuit Judge Anuraag Singhal
• 14th Circuit Chief Judge Elijah Smiley
• Ft. Lauderdale attorney Donna Greenspan Solomon
• 11th Circuit Judge William Thomas
• 11th Circuit Judge Daryl Trawick
The Tampa interviews are scheduled for the Airport Executive Center. Those set to be interviewed on November 8 include:
• Sixth Circuit Judge Michael Andrews
• Second DCA Judge J. Andrew Atkinson
• First DCA Judge Ross Bilbrey
• 12th Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll
• 10th Circuit Judge Angela Cowden
• Fourth Circuit Judge James Daniel
• Jacksonville attorney Bryan Gowdy
• Fifth DCA Judge Jamie Grosshans
• 13th Circuit Judge Laurel Lee
• Second Circuit Judge Robert Long
• Fourth Circuit Chief Judge Mark Mahon
• First DCA Judge Scott Makar
• 10th Circuit Judge Michael McDaniel
• First DCA Judge Timothy Osterhaus
• Sixth Circuit Judge Thomas Ramsberger
Those set to be interviewed on November 9 include:
• Fourth Circuit Judge Eric Roberson
• First DCA Judge Clayton Roberts
• Second DCA Judge Samuel Salario
• Fourth Circuit Judge Tatiana Salvador
• Lakeland attorney Stephen Senn
• Sixth Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa
• Second Circuit Chief Judge Jonathan Sjostrom
• Fourth Circuit Judge Adrian Soud
• 10th Circuit Judge John Stargel
• Fifth Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti
• Tampa attorney Matthew Thatcher
• First DCA Judge M. Kemmerly Thomas
• Fourth Circuit Judge Waddell Wallace
• First DCA Judge Thomas Winokur
