Florida 4th Circuit Court
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The Florida 4th Circuit Court resides in Florida in Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | (1) Circuit courts shall have jurisdiction of appeals from final administrative orders of local government code enforcement boards and of reviews and appeals as otherwise expressly provided by law. (2) Circuit courts shall have exclusive original jurisdiction: |
” |
Judges
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: Judicial selection in the states
- 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.[3]
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:[3]
- 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).
Judicial elections in Florida
- See also: Florida judicial elections
Florida is one of seven states that use nonpartisan elections to initially select judges and then use retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
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.[4] 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.[5][6]
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.[7]
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.[8]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Online Sunshine - Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature, "The 2022 Florida Statutes (including 2022 Special Session A and 2023 Special Session B) - Chapter 26 CIRCUIT COURTS," accessed May 11, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Florida Election Law, "Sec. 105.035(e)," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 4, 2014
- ↑ Florida State Legislature, "2017 Florida Statutes, Chapter 105, Nonpartisan Elections," accessed September 25, 2017
- ↑ Florida Election Code, "Sec. 105.09," accessed May 4, 2014
- ↑ Florida Election Law, "Sec. 105.051," accessed April 29, 2014
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
