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George S. Reynolds, III
This is the page for the Florida circuit court judge. If you are looking for the former chief magistrate of the Greene County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio, please see: George B. Reynolds.
George S. Reynolds, III was a judge of the Second Circuit Court in Florida. He joined the court in 1988, and retired in 2016. From 1999 to 2001, he served as the chief judge of this court.[1][2]
Education
Reynolds received his B.S. from Florida State University in 1971 and his J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law in 1974.[1]
Career
Reynolds began his career in 1975, serving on the Florida Legislature's Administrative Procedures Committee. He then practiced law in Tallahassee from 1978 until he joined the Leon County Court in 1984. In 1988, he became a circuit court judge.[1]
Elections
2012
- See also: Florida judicial elections, 2012
Reynolds was unopposed and automatically re-elected to the circuit court following the primary election on August 14, 2012.[3][4]
Noteworthy cases
No election after all for Fourth Circuit Court (2014)
- See also: Florida 2nd Circuit Court
Due to a decision released by a Florida circuit court, retiring Judge Donald Moran of the 4th Judicial Circuit was replaced by appointment rather than election.[5]
Moran, who submitted notice of his retirement to Governor Rick Scott earlier in 2014, postdated his resignation for January 2, three days before the scheduled conclusion of his term. While the judge could have ended his service by not seeking re-election in 2014, the short period of vacancy between his retirement and his term expiration created the need for the gubernatorial appointment of a successor under Florida election code. Moran noted in his letter of resignation that he would prefer that his successor be appointed and not elected.[5]
Upon Moran's announcement, the Florida Department of Elections closed the race and announced that the governor would seek an appointed successor to serve until the next general election in 2016.[5]
David Trotti, a Jacksonville attorney who had qualified to run for Moran's seat before the election closed, sued and argued that Moran's timing was designed expressly to avoid an election.[5] Tallahassee Circuit Judge George Reynolds rejected his argument:
| “ | The plaintiff is correct in his assertion that Florida law generally favors elections. Nevertheless the court finds that, because Chief Judge Moran resigned prior to the start of the qualifying period and a physical vacancy will occur between the effective date of his resignation and the start of the following term, his seat should be filled by gubernatorial appointment. | ” |
| —Judge George Reynolds | ||
Trotti's attorney, Nicholas James, expressed disappointment with the ruling, commenting that Moran "hung his hat on that one-day vacancy" and in reality wasn't resigning at all, just leaving at the end of his term.[5] James said he worried about the precedent set by Reynolds' ruling for other retiring judges.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 2nd Judicial Circuit, "George S. Reynolds, III"
- ↑ Tallahassee Democrat, "LCSO counsel appointed circuit judge by Gov. Scott," June 26, 2016
- ↑ Florida Department of State, Candidate Listing 2012
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "George Reynolds"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 The Florida Times-Union, "Judge rejects Jacksonville lawyer's claim that judicial replacement for Donald Moran should go to election," August 4, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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
