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Thomas Sawaya
Thomas D. Sawaya was a judge on the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. Governor Jeb Bush (R) appointed Sawaya in February 2000.[1] He retired from the court in 2018.[2]
Sawaya served as chief judge from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2005.[1]
Education
Sawaya received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 1974. He earned his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in 1977.[1]
Career
- 2000-2018: Judge, Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal
- 2003-2005: Chief judge
- 1990-2000: Judge, 5th Circuit Court
- Presiding judge for four years
- 1987-1990: Judge, Marion County Court
- 1977-1986: Assistant state attorney
- 1977-1986: Attorney in private practice[1]
Noteworthy cases
Court decides prison guard may use "stand your ground" law as a defense (2014)
Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal held that a prison guard could use the state's "stand your ground" law as a defense in a criminal case stemming from an incident taking place at his work.
Articles:
Elections
2014
Sawaya was retained to the Fifth District Court of Appeal with 70.8 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014. [3]
Bar evaluation
The Florida Bar conducted a poll of its members regarding the appellate judges up for retention in 2014. 92% of respondents recommended Sawaya for retention.[4]
Past elections
Sawaya was retained to the appellate court by voters in 2002 and 2008.[5][6]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Florida Courts of Appeal District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal, "Judge Sawaya Bio"
- ↑ Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal, "Former judges of the Fifth District Court of Appeal," accessed October 5, 2018
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 13, 2014
- ↑ The Florida Bar, "2014 Merit Retention Poll," accessed September 9, 2014
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State, "General Election Results"
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State, "General Election Results"
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