Florida lawyers have overwhelmingly recommended the retention of Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Harry Lee Anstead and Justice Charles T. Wells, and the 24 DCA judges up for merit retention Nov. 5.
The results of The Florida Bar’s biennial merit retention judicial poll were announced Monday by Bar President Tod Aronovitz. In announcing the poll results, Aronovitz explained that lawyers are familiar with the justices and judges and the work they do at the Supreme Court and Appeals Court levels. Therefore, the poll provides information intended to help citizens make an informed choice in the voting booth.
In a secret ballot mailed in August to all lawyers residing and practicing in Florida, participants were asked to indicate whether the incumbent judges should be retained, or should not be retained for another six-year term under the merit retention system and were asked to consider eight attributes: quality and clarity of judicial opinions, knowledge of the law, integrity, judicial temperament, impartiality, freedom from bias/prejudice, demeanor and courtesy. Only lawyers who indicated at least limited knowledge of the judge’s qualifications were included in the poll results. A total of 5,946 lawyers participated in the statewide poll.
Poll results indicated that 82 percent of participating lawyers recommended retention of Supreme Court Chief Justice Harry Lee Anstead and 86 percent recommended retention of Justice Charles T. Wells.
The results of the merit retention poll of lawyers for the First District Court of Appeal show the following percentages of lawyers recommending retention of: Judge Robert T. Benton, 88 percent; Judge Marguerite H. Davis, 84 percent; Judge Joseph Lewis Jr., 84 percent; Judge Ricky
Polston, 81 percent; and Judge William A. Van Nortwick Jr., 89 percent.
Poll results for the Second District Court of Appeal in favor or retention were: Judge Chris W. Altenbernd, 93 percent; Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington, 82 percent; Judge Carolyn K. Fulmer, 85 percent; Judge Jerry R. Parker, 86 percent; Judge Morris Silberman, 89 percent; and Judge James W. Whatley, 88 percent.
In the Third District Court of Appeal, participating lawyers recommended retaining: Judge Gerald B. Cope Jr., 90 percent; Judge David M. Gersten, 86 percent; Judge Melvia B. Green, 82 percent; Judge David L. Levy, 89 percent; and Judge Juan Ramirez Jr., 82 percent.
The results of the merit poll of lawyers for the Fourth District Court of Appeal show the following percentages of lawyers recommending retention of: Judge Mark E. Polen, 88 percent; Judge George A. Shahood, 87 percent; Judge W. Matthew Stevenson, 87 percent; and Judge Martha C. Warner, 86 percent.
In the Fifth District Court of Appeal, participating lawyers in the poll recommended retaining: Judge Richard B. Orfinger, 90 percent; Judge William D. Palmer, 86 percent; Judge Robert J. Pleus, 84 percent; and Judge Thomas D. Sawaya, 88 percent.
The Florida Bar has published results of its polls as a public service since the first merit retention election in 1978. In merit retention elections, the justices and judges run unopposed and voters cast their ballots to retain or not retain the judge in office. If the judge is not retained, a vacancy is created and will be filled through the merit selection process through which the governor will appoint one of three to six nominees submitted by the respective Judicial Nominating Commission.