This Giving Tuesday, help ensure voters have the information they need to make confident, informed decisions. Donate now!
Jerri L. Collins
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Jerri L. Collins is a county judge of the Seminole County Court in Seminole County, Florida. She was first appointed to the position in 2005 by former Governor Jeb Bush (R).[1] Collins was re-elected to the court on August 26, 2014, for a six-year that expired on January 4, 2021.[2][3]
Education
Collins earned her B.A. from Eastern Illinois University and her J.D. from Mercer University.[4]
Career
Collins began her legal career as an assistant state attorney in Seminole County. She left this position to open a private practice in Longwood, Fla. Later, Collins returned to the Seminole County State Attorney's Office to lead a new unit for prosecuting crimes involving the elderly and disabled. She was appointed to the Seminole County Court by former Governor Jeb Bush in 2005.[5]
Awards and associations
- Member, Markham Woods Presbyterian Church
- Member, Sanford Kiwanis Club
- Past board member, Seminole County Habitat for Humanity [5]
Elections
2014
See also: Florida judicial elections, 2014
Collins ran for re-election to the Seminole County Court.
Primary: She was elected in the primary on August 26, 2014, receiving 51.1 percent of the vote. She competed against Sandra Rivera and Alex Finch.[2][3]
Noteworthy cases
Judge jails domestic abuse victim for failing to show up to court
- See also: Seminole County Court, Florida
In July 2015, Judge Jerri Collins sentenced a woman to three days in jail for not showing up to testify against the man standing trial for domestic abuse.[6]
The woman had filed a police report in April against Myles Brennan, the father of her son, for choking her, pressing his thumbs against her eyes and threatening her with a knife. Case-file notes show that she showed reservations about testifying against him about a month before the trial. She had been communicating with the prosector and victim advocates. When she did not show up to the trial, Brennan was sentenced to 16 days in jail after pleading to simple battery.[6]
When the woman was back in front of the judge for contempt of court, she apologized for her absence and said, "I've been dealing with depression and a lot of personal anxiety since this happened." The judge replied, "You think you're going to have anxiety now? You haven't even seen anxiety." She charged her with contempt of court for violating her court order to appear at the trial.[7]
Jeanne Gold, CEO of a domestic abuse prevention group, called the sentence unfair and said, "I can't blame the state for wanting to get a bad guy, but you cannot lean on a victim of domestic violence to solve the societal issues in our world."[6] Judge Collins had not released a statement or responded to reporters as of October 8.[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Courts, "Judges," accessed June 25, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Seminole County Supervisor of Elections, "Who Is Running For Office," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Seminole County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election," accessed August 27, 2014
- ↑ Martindale, "Jerri Lynn Collins - Lawyer Profile," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Judge Jerri Collins, "Meet Judge Jerri Collins," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Orlando Sentinel, "Judge, prosecutors questioned over jailing domestic-violence victim," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Heavy.com, "Judge Jerri Collins: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know," October 8, 2015
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
