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Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of twenty-one Florida intermediate appellate court judges will expire on January 5, 2027. The twenty-one seats are up for retention election on November 3, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for retention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
Florida First District Court of Appeal
■ Joseph Lewis
■ L. Clayton Roberts
■ Timothy D. Osterhaus
■ Rachel Nordby
■ Adam Tanenbaum
Florida Second District Court of Appeal
■ Daniel H. Sleet
■ Morris Silberman
■ Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe
■ J. Andrew Atkinson
■ Andrea Teves Smith
Florida Third District Court of Appeal
■ Thomas W. Logue
■ Kansas Gooden
■ Bronwyn C. Miller
■ Monica Gordo
■ Fleur J. Lobree
Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal
■ Alan O. Forst
■ Mark W. Klingensmith
■ Martha Warner
Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal
■ Frederic Rand Wallis
■ John M. Harris
■ Scott D. Makar
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Florida
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
The justices of the Florida District Courts of Appeal are selected by a nine-member judicial nominating commission.[1] The commission screens potential judicial candidates, submitting a list of three to six nominees to the governor. The governor must appoint a judge from this list.[2]
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.[2] Under the Florida constitution, a judge must retire at age 75; however, a judge who reaches 75 after serving at least half of his or her term may complete that term.[3]
Qualifications
To serve on one of these courts, a judge must be:
- a qualified elector;
- a resident in the jurisdiction of the court;
- admitted to practice law in the state for 10 years before assuming the bench; and
- under the age of 75.
Chief justice
The chief justice of the appellate courts is selected by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for two years.[2]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends three to six qualified candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year before running in a yes-no retention election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Florida; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article V, Section 8," accessed September 10, 2021
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
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