The Florida Third District Court of Appeal is headquartered in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Its ten judges have jurisdiction over cases arising from

Miami-Dade Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

and Monroe Counties.

History

The Third District Court of Appeal (DCA) was one of the first three DCAs created by the Florida legislature in 1957. Court was first held in a room of the

University of Miami School of Law The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. Founded in 1926, the University of Miami School of Law is the oldest law school i ...

. Then, from 1960 to 1976, court sessions took place at the State Office Building. It wasn't until 1976 that the court finally had its own facility to conduct its business. This courthouse was dedicated by Governor

Reubin Askew Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an Politics of the United States, American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

in the fall of 1976. In 1990 an addition was added to keep pace with the court's continued growth. The courthouse has won the recognition of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

(South Florida Chapter) and in 1981 Governor Bob Graham gave the court the Governor's Design Award. The court's original three judges (Charles A. Carroll, Mallory H. Horton and Tillman Pearson) have increased to ten as of 2010.

Chief Judges

Judges who have served as Chief Judge of the Third DCA include: * Ivan F. Fernandez, Current Chief Judge since July 1, 2021 * Kevin Emas, January 10, 2019 to June 30, 2021 *

Barbara Lagoa Barbara Lagoa (born November 2, 1967) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Prior to becoming a federal judge, she was the first Latina and Cub ...

, January 1, 2019 to January 8, 2019 *

Leslie B. Rothenberg Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble famil ...

, July 1, 2017 to December 30, 2018 * Richard Suarez, July 9, 2015 to June 30, 2017 * Frank A. Shepherd, July 1, 2013 to July 8, 2015 *

Linda Ann Wells Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...

, July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013 * Juan Ramirez, Jr., July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011 * David M. Gersten, July 1, 2007 until June 30, 2009 * Gerald B. Cope, Jr., July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2007 * Alan R. Schwartz, 1983 to 2004 * Phillip A. Hubbart, 1980 to 1983 *

Robert M. Haverfield Robert M. Haverfield (October 26, 1918 – September 8, 1980) was an American judge and politician. He served as a Democratic member for the 13th and 41st district of the Florida Senate. Life and career Haverfield was born in Cadiz, Ohio. He ...

, 1978 to 1980 *

Norman Hendry Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, 1965 to 1967 and 1977 * Thomas H. Barkdull, Jr., 1963 to 1965 and 1967 to 1976 *

Tillman Pearson Tillman is a surname and given name of English origin and an Americanized spelling of Tillmann. Other variants of the name include Tilman and Dillman. Notable people with the name Tillmann include: Surname * Albert Tillman (1928–2004), Ameri ...

, 1961 to 1963 * Mallory H. Horton, 1959 to 1961 * Charles A. Carroll, 1957 to 1959

Active Judges

Judges serving on the Third DCA as of July 1, 2017 include:

Retired Judges

Judges who have served on the Third DCA include:

The Florida Third District Court of Appeal Nominating Commission

Marcos D. Jimenez Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Nélson Marcos, Portugu ...

, Chair (2011) *

Jeffrey S. Bass Jeffrey may refer to: * Jeffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * ''Jeffrey'' (1995 film), a 1995 film by Paul Rudnick, based on Rudnick's play of the same name * ''Jeffrey'' (2016 film), a 2016 Dominican Republic documentary film ...

(2014) * Hector J. Lombana (2014) * Peter Prieto (2014) * Matias R. Dorta (2011) *

Timothy J. Koenig Timothy is a masculine name. It comes from the Greek name ( Timόtheos) meaning "honouring God", "in God's honour", or "honoured by God". Timothy (and its variations) is a common name in several countries. People Given name * Timothy (given name) ...

(2011) *

Nilda Pedrosa Nilda Pedrosa (1974 – January 23, 2021) was an American politician in the Republican party and the acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the United States Department of State, from September 28, 2020, until ...

(2012) * Lauri Waldman Ross (2012) *

Lilly Ann Sanchez Lilly may refer to: * an archaic spelling of lily, a flowering plant Arts and entertainment * ''Lilly'' (film), a 1958 Malayalam film * ''Lilly'' (album), by Antonello Venditti, 1975 * "Lilly", a song by Pink Martini from the 2004 album ''Han ...

(2012)

Notable cases

*''

In re Gill ''In re: Gill'' is a landmark Florida court case that in 2010 ended Florida's 33-year ban on adoptions by homosexuals. In 2007, Frank Martin Gill, an openly gay man, had petitioned the circuit court to adopt two boys that he and his partner had ...

'' (2010) (Cope, J.
Text of the Court of Appeal decision
:ABA Journal Article
/ref> This ruling struck down the Florida’s statutory ban on gay and lesbian people adopting children in the state. *'' Engle v. Liggett Group'' (2003) (Gersten, J.
Text of the Court of Appeal decision
This ruling was overturned in 2006 by the Florida Supreme Cour

which ordered decertification of a class action lawsuit against big tobacco companies that effectively reversed the largest punitive damage jury award, $145 billion, in U.S. history.

External links

Website of the Florida District Courts of AppealFlorida Third District Court of Appeal WebsiteThe Florida Third District Court of Appeal Nominating Commission Inside the Third District Court of Appeal

References

{{Florida Court System Florida appellate courts 1957 establishments in Florida Courts and tribunals established in 1957