Fourth Circuit vacancy draws 24 applicants

News

by Joe Wilhelm Jr.

Staff Writer

The Fourth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission will review 24 applications for the vacancy created by the recent death of Judge Jefferson Morrow.

The applicants include a former Fourth Circuit Assistant Public Defender who now practices in the Eighth Circuit, the attorney for Nassau County, two Duval County judges and three lawyers from the State Attorney’s Office.

“We have a good group to choose from,” said Wayne Alford, chair of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission.

The commission scheduled the interviews for May 3-4.

The Judicial Nominating Commission members are Alford, Ava Parker, Robert O’Quinn, Richard Alexander, Greg Strickland, Deno Hicks, William Prichard and Dexter Van Davis.

Strickland and Hicks are the nonlawyers of the commission and there is a vacancy created by the relocation of member Vivian Gallo.

When the commission met in November 2009, it sent six names to then Gov. Charlie Crist to fill two vacancies in the circuit. Three of those names are among the latest pool of applicants: Duval County Judge Roberto Arias, Eighth Circuit Assistant Public Defender Alan Chipperfield and attorney Harvey Jay.

The commission also has the discretion to interview some or all of the applicants. It interviewed all of them when it met in November 2009.

“We are going to interview all the applicants. They went through so much work to get the applications in, we think it’s only fair that they all get interviewed,” said Alford. “It will make for a long day, though.”

The commission will schedule 15 minutes for each applicant.

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Fourth Circuit judicial applicants

Marianne Aho

Duval County Judge

Roberto Arias

Garrett Barket

Alan Barlow

Suzanne Bass

Duval County Judge

Kevin Blazs