Florida 2nd Circuit Court

The Florida Second Circuit Court is one of twenty circuit courts in Florida. It is a trial court of general jurisdiction presiding over the counties of Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla.

This officeholder information was last updated on December 4, 2024. Please contact us with any updates.

Court

Jurisdiction of the Second Circuit

Judges

• Dawn Caloca-Johnson
• Kevin Carroll
• John Cooper
• Angela C. Dempsey
• Charles W. Dodson
• Anthony Miller
• Joshua Hawkes
• Barbara Hobbs
• Terry P. Lewis
• James O. Shelfer
• Jonathan Sjostrom
• J. Layne Smith
• Robert R. Wheeler

Former judges

• Charles A. Francis
• Jackie L. Fulford
• Karen Gievers
• James C. Hankinson
• Robert E. Long Jr.
• George S. Reynolds, III
• Frank E. Sheffield
• Francis Allman Jr.
• Martin Fitzpatrick

See also

• Florida Circuit Court
• Courts in Florida
• Judicial selection in Florida

External links

• Florida's Second Judicial Circuit website

Florida courts

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Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida

State courts:

Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court

State resources:

Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida

Elections

See also: Florida judicial elections

Florida is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Florida, click here.

• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2025
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2024
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2023
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2022
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2021
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2020
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2019
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2018
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2017
• Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2016
• Florida judicial elections, 2014
• Florida judicial elections, 2012
• Florida judicial elections, 2010

Selection method

See also: Nonpartisan elections

There are 597 judges on the Florida Circuit Court, each elected via nonpartisan elections. They serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to retain their seat.

The chief judge is selected by peer vote and serves in that capacity for two years.

Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• a qualified elector;
• a state resident;
• admitted to practice law in the state for five years; and
• under the age of 75 (retirement at 75 is mandatory).

Election rules

Primary election

To get on the ballot, candidates for judicial office are required to obtain signatures equal to at least one percent of the number of registered electors in the geographic boundary of the district. Trial court judicial candidates compete in nonpartisan primaries designed to narrow the field to two candidates for the general election. Candidates who receive a simple majority (fifty percent plus one vote) of the vote in the primary are considered winners and are not on the ballot in the general election unless a write-in candidate qualifies for the same office. Candidates who are unopposed for any office do not appear on the ballot and are considered automatically elected.

General election

In the general election, trial court candidates compete in nonpartisan elections. Partisan organizations and political parties are forbidden from endorsing, supporting, or opposing candidates for office.

Retention election

Retention elections for appellate judges ask voters a "yes" or "no" question of whether or not to retain a judge to another term. The judges do not face competition on the ballot. If a majority of votes are in favor of a particular judge, that judge will be retained to a new term.