Major Best Harding (born October 13, 1935) is an attorney and former Chief Justice of the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

. He was appointed to the court by Governor

Lawton Chiles Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States ...

in 1991 and served until 2002. His tenure as chief justice lasted from 1998 to June 2000. Prior to being appointed to the Florida Supreme Court, Harding served as a circuit judge for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit and as a Duval County juvenile court judge. In 2014,

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

appointed him to adjudicate the disciplinary hearing of

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

quarterback

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...

concerning allegations that Winston violated the university's Student Conduct Code. Harding received his undergraduate and law degrees from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

. He also holds a Master of Laws in Judicial Process from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

. Harding continues to practice law as a shareholder of the Ausley McMullen firm in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

References

External links

Official Biography from the Florida Supreme Court
Wake Forest University alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Chief Justices of the Florida Supreme Court 1935 births Living people Politicians from Charlotte, North Carolina Lawyers from Jacksonville, Florida Lawyers from Charlotte, North Carolina Justices of the Florida Supreme Court {{Florida-state-judge-stub