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John Guard
John Guard is a judicial nominee to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Guard was nominated by Donald Trump on June 16, 2025.
Guard became the interim Attorney General of Florida on January 21, 2025, when Ashley B. Moody left office.
On June 16, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated John Guard to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.[1][2] As of June 16, 2025, Guard was awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for more information on Guard's federal judicial nomination.
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On June 16, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Guard to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.[1][2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: John Guard |
| Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida |
| Progress |
| 102 days since nomination. |
 Nominated: June 16, 2025
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 ABA Rating:
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| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing:
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported:
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| Confirmed:
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Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
As of June 16, 2025, Guard was awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee hearing.
Nomination
On May 28, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate John Guard to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The president officially nominated Guard on June 16, 2025. Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.
Biography
John Guard earned a bachelor's degree from Florida State University and a law degree from Tulane University Law School. Guard's career experience includes working as an attorney.[3]
Political career
Attorney General (2025)
Guard served as the Chief Deputy Attorney General until the former attorney general Ashley B. Moody was appointed to another office. Guard became the interim attorney general after her departure in January 2025.
About the court
| Middle District of Florida |
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| Eleventh Circuit |
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| Judgeships |
| Posts: 15 |
| Judges: 12 |
| Vacancies: 3 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Marcia Howard |
| Active judges: John L. Badalamenti, Tom Barber, Wendy W. Berger, Paul G. Byron, Sheri Polster Chappell, Kyle Dudek, Marcia Howard, William Jung, Carlos E. Mendoza, Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, Mary Scriven, Julie Sneed Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of 94 United States district courts. The district has courthouses in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.
The Middle District of Florida has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are five court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Fort Myers Division, covering Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties.
The Jacksonville Division, covering Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union counties.
The Ocala Division, covering Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties.
The Orlando Division, covering Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties.
The Tampa Division, covering Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
| Florida | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Ashley B. Moody (R) |
Attorney General of Florida 2025-2025 |
Succeeded by James Uthmeier (R) |
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida |
Succeeded by - |
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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
