John S. Kastrenakes
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.
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
John S. Kastrenakes is a judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Florida. He was appointed by former Governor Charlie Crist on April 29, 2009, effective June 1. He ran unopposed and was retained to six-year terms in 2010 and 2016.[1][2][3][4]
Education
Kastrenakes received his B.A. degree (in history) and his J.D. degree from the University of Florida in 1977 and 1980, respectively.[2]
Career
Kastrenakes began his career in 1981 as an assistant state attorney in Dade County. After a shot stint as an associate of Goodhart and Rosner, P.A. from 1984 to 1985, he returned to the State Attorney's office. He then became an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 1995. He held that position until his appointment to the circuit court in 2009.[2]
Elections
2016
Kastrenakes won re-election without opposition in 2016.
2010
Kastrenakes ran unopposed and was automatically retained to a new term.[3]
- Main article: Florida judicial elections, 2010
Noteworthy events
Judge holds juror who missed trial in contempt of court
Judge Kastrenakes held a man in contempt of court, giving him a 10-day jail sentence and a year on probation after he slept in and missed his jury duty. Following his jail time, Deandre Somerville appeared at a hearing on October 4, 2019, during which Judge Kastrenakes reduced his probation sentence to three months and his community service hours from 150 to 30 after Somerville's lawyer appealed. The judge also removed the contempt from Somerville's record following the hearing.[5]
“I firmly believe that Deandre Somerville is the type of person who can achieve anything he wants in this world. I know he now understands and respects our system of justice and the critical role jurors play in that system. In conclusion, I do not want even a finding of contempt to be gleaned from a perusal of his background or record,” wrote Kastrenakes.[6]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Towns.com: Tallahassee, "Governor Crist Appoints Meenu Sasser and John S. Kastrenakes to 15th Judicial Circuit Court," April 30, 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 15th Judicial Circuit, "John Kastrenakes biography"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Florida Division of Elections, "John S. Kastrenakes, 2010"
- ↑ Judicial selection in Florida
- ↑ The Washington Post, "He got 10 days in jail for missing jury duty. After national backlash, a judge erased his record." October 8, 2019
- ↑ The New York Times, "He Served 10 Days in Jail for Missing Jury Duty. Now the Judge Has Cleared His Record." October 8, 2019
