Andrew Bonderud

Andrew Bonderud ran for election for judge of the Duval County Court in Florida. He lost in the primary on August 20, 2024.

Bonderud completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Andrew Bonderud was born in Jacksonville, Florida. Bonderud's career experience includes working as an attorney. He served in the U.S. Navy from 2005 to 2009. Bonderud earned a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in 2005 and a law degree from Boston College Law School in 2012.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Duval County Court

Shayla Lee defeated Matthew Lufrano in the general election for Duval County Court on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Shayla Lee (Nonpartisan)	57.2	223,635
	Matthew Lufrano (Nonpartisan)	42.8	167,396

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 391,031
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Duval County Court

Shayla Lee and Matthew Lufrano defeated Andrew Bonderud and Marcus Isom in the primary for Duval County Court on August 20, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Shayla Lee (Nonpartisan)	31.5	36,090
✔	Matthew Lufrano (Nonpartisan)	28.3	32,395
	Andrew Bonderud (Nonpartisan)	24.1	27,620
	Marcus Isom (Nonpartisan)	16.2	18,565

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 114,670
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bonderud in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Andrew Bonderud completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bonderud's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Andrew is a Jacksonville native, a Husband, a Father, and a former U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer. He has spent more than 11 years in the courtroom, representing clients in a broad range of cases.

Born at NAS Jacksonville, Andrew attended Vanderbilt University on a full scholarship and graduated with high honors. Upon graduation, he returned to Jacksonville, where he served on two ships at Naval Station Mayport. Following his Navy service, Andrew attended law school at Boston College Law School and graduated in 2012.

Andrew is the son and grandson of Hispanic immigrants. His mother was born in Havana, Cuba, and her family immigrated to the US following the Castro-led Cuban Revolution. On his father’s side, Andrew’s grandfather (a former US Army Air Corps pilot) met Andrew’s grandmother in Guatemala City, Guatemala. She then immigrated to Miami, FL, where they raised their family of 7 children, including Andrew’s father (a retired US Navy officer and pilot). If elected, Andrew is committed to honoring his judicial oath, and to applying the law to the facts in a fair and impartial way, without fear or favor. Andrew is married to Natalie Nicole Bonderud, and they split time between their homes in Avondale and Jacksonville Beach. Andrew has two daughters from his first marriage, ages 9 and 11, and Natalie is pregnant with what will be girl number 3 for Andrew. #GirlDad

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

If elected to the Duval County Court, Andrew would be the only Hispanic judge in Jacksonville (a city with more than 100,000 Hispanic residents) and the only judge who has served our country in the US Navy. Among the four candidates for Duval County Court Judge, Andrew is the only attorney who routinely represents clients in every type of case over which a Duval County Judge would preside.
In early 2013, Andrew established his own law firm, where to this day, he represents clients in all types of high-stakes litigation in state and federal court, including civil, criminal, and family law matters. On numerous occasions, Andrew’s work has yielded not only unprecedented results, but also substantial changes and improvements to state and local agencies.
Recognized for his outstanding pro bono work in federal civil rights cases, Andrew received the 2018 “Spirit of Giving” award from the Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. In 2024, he was competitively selected to be included on the Forbes Advisor list of the best criminal defense attorneys in Jacksonville. He has also been included in the Thompson Reuters Florida SuperLawyers Rising Stars list since 2019.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Andrew Bonderud is deeply patriotic. He loves this country and believes in American exceptionalism. He knows that the separation of powers and our independent judiciary is something that distinguishes our country from every other country on earth. There's no such thing as a prosecutor-judge or a defense-attorney-judge. Andrew is committed to being a neutral, fair and impartial judge, and to applying the law to the facts without fear or favor. With as much as this country has afforded to his family, his parents, and his grandparents, Andrew feels called to give back by serving as your next Duval County Court Judge.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

This election and Andrew's role as a potential Duval County Court Judge is entirely non-partisan.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

With few exceptions, if you have to go to court, you are either having a bad day, or you've had a bad day. Litigants and participants in a legal proceeding are entitled to be heard and to be treated with dignity and respect. It is also vitally important that a judge be prepared, organized, and on time, and that he or she communicates clearly, comprehensively, and with an even temper and balanced demeanor. Additionally, Andrew believes that transparency improves the public's trust in its Government. However, judges often have the difficult task of balancing the privacy rights of litigants with the public's right of access to public proceedings. Andrew will balance those interests always consistent with Florida and federal law.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Judges must remain independent and must apply the law to the facts neutrally, fairly and impartially, without fear or favor.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at a country club, cleaning golf clubs for members as they returned to the clubhouse after a round of play. I believe I worked there for just over a year in or around 1999 when I was 17 years old.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The next Duval County Court Judge will preside over both civil and criminal cases, rendering Andrew's broad and diverse experience so important. The judge also will occasionally preside over "first appearance" court and will be responsible for setting bonds and other reasonable conditions of release for those who are arrested. The judge will also review and approve applications for various warrants, such as arrest warrants and search warrants.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

This is a common question for judicial candidates. Often, judicial candidates are asked about high-level legal philosophy, which can be both fun to discuss and intellectually stimulating. In reality, though, a Duval County Court Judge will rarely consider questions of "first impression" or be called upon to examine such things as the "dormant commerce clause", the contours of the federal Equal Protection clause in the US Constitution, or the distinctions if any between the Due Process clauses of the Fifth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment. Instead, Duval County Court Judges are called upon to resolve much more arguably-mundane but unquestionably important questions, such as whether or not to grant a residential eviction; whether to incarcerate a convicted misdemeanor defendant or instead order him or her to complete a period of probation; and whether or not to impose points on one's license on account of a civil traffic infraction.

Regardless, Andrew is committed to faithfully applying the law and to not legislating from the bench, regardless of any personal feelings.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Although I did not agree with him all the time, I deeply admire the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes. As stated earlier, with few exceptions, if you have to go to court, you are either having a bad day, or you've had a bad day. Litigants and participants in a legal proceeding are entitled to be heard and to be treated with dignity and respect. It is also vitally important that a judge be prepared, organized, and on time, and that he or she communicates clearly, comprehensively, and with an even temper and balanced demeanor.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

No. However, as previously stated:

Recognized for his outstanding pro bono work in federal civil rights cases, Andrew received the 2018 “Spirit of Giving” award from the Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. In 2024, he was competitively selected to be included on the Forbes Advisor list of the best criminal defense attorneys in Jacksonville. He has also beenincluded in the Thompson Reuters Florida SuperLawyers Rising Stars list since 2019.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

Andrew Bonderud is deeply patriotic. He loves this country and believes in American exceptionalism. He knows that the separation of powers and our independent judiciary is something that distinguishes our country from every other country on earth. There's no such thing as a prosecutor-judge or a defense-attorney-judge. Andrew is committed to being a neutral, fair and impartial judge, and to applying the law to the facts without fear or favor. With as much as this country has afforded to his family, his parents, and his grandparents, Andrew feels called to give back by serving as your next Duval County Court Judge.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

It depends on the specific type of experience.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Maintaining the independence of the judiciary.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

We must preserve the independence of the judiciary.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

Never say never.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Sometimes.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Andrew will faithfully apply the law in all circumstances.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 5, 2024

Florida courts

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

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 5, 2024

[1]

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Andrew Bonderud

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Duval County Court

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Duval County Court

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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