by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
An open seat on the bench of the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida has two of its current judges looking to the local legal community.
U.S. District Judges Timothy Corrigan and Marcia Morales Howard want to make sure that the Jacksonville legal community knows about the judicial opening and the June 15 application deadline.
“For someone who has a love of the law, it’s really a tremendous opportunity. You get challenging issues constantly,” the judges stated. “You get to see some really great lawyering and work with good people. You never have to go out and drum up work, and you couldn’t find more interesting work if you tried.”
The substantive legal work isn’t the only reason to pursue the position, the judges explained.
“On top of that, you get to do something that you are passionate about, while at the same time serving the public,” said the judges. “You are not constrained by an agenda or a need to reach a specific outcome. Your only responsibility, in fact your absolute duty, is simply to follow the law and do justice.”
The opening will be created when U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara takes senior status in December of this year. He sits in the District’s Tampa Division.
Geographically, the Middle District of Florida stretches over 350 miles from the Georgia border on the northeast to south of Naples on Florida’s southwest coast. Three of the six largest metropolitan statistical areas in the state, Tampa, Jacksonville and Orlando, are within the district. The Clerk’s office headquarters is located in Orlando with additional divisional offices in Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Ocala. Over 10 million people, more than 57% of the state’s population, reside within the district.
Lazzara is seated in the Tampa Division, but that does not necessarily mean that the next judge sworn in to the district will replace him in Tampa.
“We have a history of judges moving from one division to another or temporarily having to take responsibility for a caseload in a division other than their home,” said the judges. “But, the long and the short of it is that the individual who fills this position would have a very substantial likelihood of ending up in Jacksonville if they wanted to. As a result of that, as judges here in Jacksonville, we have an interest in really encouraging qualified Jacksonville applicants to apply for this position.”
The judges understand that the application process is long and, at times, difficult. Applicants must send a cover letter and application to all 64 members of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. The process can take more than year from the time the opening is noticed to U.S. Senate confirmation of the president’s nomination, as was the case with the most recent addition to the Middle District.
“Neither of us would tell you that it is an easy process. The reality is that it is a very competitive, somewhat protracted, and at times a trying process. But, what we will both tell you is it is absolutely worth it. To serve as a United States District Judge is just a humbling and remarkable opportunity. It is an opportunity to serve the people, to do so at a high level, to have interesting, challenging work every day, and to know that your only duty is to do justice,” said the judges.
The application is available at www.flmd.uscourts.gov.
356-2466