John Cooper (Florida circuit judge)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Local Politics Image.jpg

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.

John C. Cooper
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Florida 2nd Circuit Court
Tenure
Present officeholder
Education
Bachelor's
Florida State University
Law
Florida State University


John C. Cooper is a judge of the Second Circuit Court of Florida. He was elected to this position in 2002 and took office the following year, replacing retired Judge F. E. Steinmeyer III. He was re-elected by voters in 2008, 2014, and 2020. His current six-year term expires in January 2027.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Elections

2014

See also: Florida judicial elections, 2014
Cooper ran for re-election to the Second Circuit Court.
As an unopposed candidate, he was automatically re-elected without appearing on the ballot. [4] 

Education

Cooper received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Florida State University.[7]

Career

Cooper is a former attorney with Cooper, Coppins & Monroe.[8]

Noteworthy cases

Judge rules Florida schools can enforce mask requirements

See also: Coronavirus (COVID-19) preemption conflicts between state and local governments and School responses in Florida to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

On August 27, 2021, Cooper ruled that the Florida Department of Education could not enforce Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) July 30 order authorizing Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran to withhold funding from school districts that require masks because doing so would violate a separation of powers statute.[9] In his order, DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Education to ensure that school COVID-19 restrictions are consistent with H.B 241, a law DeSantis signed on June 29 prohibiting state and government institutions from interfering with parents' authority to make educational or healthcare decisions for their children.

A group of parents sued DeSantis on August 6, alleging the order interferes with school districts' authority to protect students.[10][11]

In his ruling, Cooper said H.B. 241 does not prohibit schools from enforcing mask mandates because the law also allows for narrow restrictions to protect public health.[12][13][14][15]

In response, DeSantis' communications director said, "[w]e will continue to defend the law and parent’s rights in Florida, and will immediately appeal the ruling to the First District Court of Appeals, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits of the case."[9]

On November 30, 2021, the parents who initially sued asked an appeals court to dismiss the lawsuit because DeSantis had signed a bill on November 19 prohibiting school mask mandates.[16][17] The case was subsequently dismissed on January 14, 2022.[18]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 2nd Judicial Circuit, "John C. Cooper," accessed May 11, 2014
  2. ↑ 2nd Judicial Circuit, "Our Judges, 1969 - 2006," accessed May 11, 2014
  3. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "John C. Cooper, 2008," accessed May 7, 2014
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Florida Secretary of State, “Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election,” accessed May 5, 2014
  5. ↑ Judicial selection in Florida
  6. ↑ The Florida Bar, "JUSTICE MUÑIZ, 24 DCA JUDGES ON MERIT RETENTION BALLOT; 52 CIRCUIT, COUNTY COURT RACES TO BE DECIDED," May 4, 2020
  7. ↑ Martindale.com, "Judge Profile: John C. Cooper," accessed May 7, 2014
  8. ↑ Tallahasee.com, "17 Apply for Circuit Judge Post," October 27, 2000
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 NBC News, "DeSantis' school mask mandate ban is unlawful, Florida judge rules," August 27, 2021
  10. ↑ Bloomberg, "Florida Parents Sue DeSantis, Ask Court to Allow Mask Mandates," August 8, 2021
  11. ↑ NPR, "Lawsuit Over Florida School Mask Mandates Now Before Judge," August 26, 2021
  12. ↑ State of Florida Office of the Governor, "Executive Order Number 21-175," accessed August 27, 2021
  13. ↑ The Washington Post, "Judge blocks Florida governor’s order banning mask mandates," August 27, 2021
  14. ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Judge rules for parents in Florida school mask case, a blow to DeSantis," August 27, 2021
  15. ↑ State of Florida Office of the Governor, "Executive Order Number 21-175," accessed August 27, 2021
  16. ↑ WUSF Public Media, "Parents, state ask an appeals court to dismiss the legal fight over school masks," November 30, 2021
  17. ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "DeSantis enacts new laws on school mask, vaccine mandates," November 19, 2021
  18. ↑ Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, "Cases of Statewide Interest," accessed June 23, 2023

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


Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=John_Cooper_(Florida_circuit_judge)&oldid=10653497"