Ricky L. Polston (born November 24, 1955 in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner ...

) has been a justice of the Florida Supreme Court since his appointment in 2008 and was the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court from July 2012 to June 2014. He is a graduate of

Florida State University College of Law Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part of ...

Background

Polston was raised in

Graceville, Florida Graceville is a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. It is near the Alabama state line. The population was 2,278 at the 2010 census. A large portion of Graceville's rural acreage is located in Holmes County, Florida, United States. G ...

, and graduated from

Graceville High School Graceville High School is a public high school in Graceville, Florida. The school's teams compete with the Tigers mascot and the school colors are black, orange, and white. The school opened in 1885. In 2021, Graceville High School was ranked 51 ...

in 1973 as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

. He received an Associate of Arts from

Chipola College Chipola College is a public college in Marianna, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. History The school was founded in 1947 as Chipola Junior College; its name was changed in 2003 after the college developed several bachelor's ...

in 1975, and a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

, summa cum laude, from Florida State University in 1977. In 1986, he received his Juris Doctor with high honors from the

. Polston is married to children's book author Deborah Ehler Polston. They have ten children, including six whom they have adopted. Described as an "active Christian" by the '' Miami Herald'' in 2013, Polston wrote of himself, “I am a product and reflection of Florida. My children are racially diverse, which gives me a better appreciation of different cultures and how they react to each other. In short, I am not isolated as a judge.” Polston has been a certified public accountant since 1978 and worked as a public accountant from 1977–1984. After becoming an attorney, Polston was in private practice from 1987–2000. Governor

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

appointed him a judge of the First District Court of Appeal of Florida on January 2, 2001, where he served until his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court. During his service on the Court of Appeals, Polston heard over 6,000 appellate cases.The Florida Bar News, "Polston Joins the Court", October 15, 2008, p. 1. Since 2003, Polston has also worked as an adjunct professor at Florida State University College of Law, teaching the Florida Constitutional Law class there for several years.

Supreme Court appointment

Governor Charlie Crist appointed Polston to the Florida Supreme Court on October 1, 2008 to replace Kenneth B. Bell, who resigned that day to return to private practice. Polston was sworn in the next day. He was the second of Crist's four appointments to the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Polston was elected unanimously to serve as Florida's 55th Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, starting July 1, 2012. Polston, who served a two-year term in the office, is the first Florida State Law alumn to be selected as Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

References

External links

Florida Supreme Court Profile
* Hafenbrack, Josh,
Crist names Ricky Polston to Florida Supreme Court
" ''Orlando Sentinel'', October 1, 2008. * Flemming, Paul,
Gov. Crist names Panhandle native to state high court
" ''Pensacola News Journal'', October 1, 2008. * Liberto, Jennifer,
Polston to join state Supreme Court
" ''St. Petersburg Times'', October 2, 2008. 1956 births 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges People from Dothan, Alabama Florida State University faculty Living people Florida State University alumni Florida State University College of Law alumni Justices of the Florida Supreme Court Judges of the Florida District Courts of Appeal Chief Justices of the Florida Supreme Court People from Graceville, Florida {{Florida-state-judge-stub