CONGRATS TO JUDGE ROBERT LUCK

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

AND YOUR NEWEST 3^RD DCA JUDGE IS .....

JUDGE ROBERT LUCK***

Judge Luck, age 37, earned a raise today. $8,000 to be exact. You see the salary of a Circuit Court Judge is $146,000 while a Judge on the 3^rd gets paid $154,000. $8,000 bucks and no more daily calendars; pretty good gig if you ask me. Oh yeah, and the raise also comes with a lifetime appointment; almost forgot about that.

Seriously, Judge Luck is so well deserving of this appointment. He has two degrees from the University of Florida Gators. He clerked for Judge Ed Carnes of the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. He even worked for that venerable boutique law firm Greenberg Traurig from 2005-2006. He then joined the U.S. Attorney's Office where he worked for almost seven years.

Then, in 2013, at the ripe old age of 33, Governor Scott appointed Luck to the Circuit Court bench. See our coverage here.
  
Luck faced the voters this past summer for the first time and drew opposition from ex state legislator Yolly Roberson. He defeated Roberson 54% to 46%. It appears now that that will have been his one and only election.

Judge Luck has spent the past three and one half years assigned to both the Criminal Division as well as the General Jurisdiction Division (Civil). While many criticized Scott for appointing a 33 year old to an open seat on the Circuit Court, Luck has generally been well received in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions by attorneys on both sides of the isle.

The appointment of Luck opens a seat on the Circuit bench that will be named by Scott sometime in May of 2017.

***As predicted earlier today by lead scribe of this Blog, Horace Rumpole and his crystal ball.

IN OTHER 3^RD DCA NEWS TODAY .....

3rd DCA Judge Linda Ann Wells has announced her retirement. She has aged out and Gov Scott will name her replacement. So, it looks like one of the names not chosen today by the Gov to replace retiring Judge Frank Shepherd will have a second shot and that should happen in the next few months; ARE YOU LISTENING JUDGES Browyn Miller and Norma Lindsey, along with attorneys Fleur Lobree, John Greco, and Oren Rosenthal.

The 3rd DCA currently has a makeup of ten judges:

Richard J. Suarez, Chief Judge
Linda Ann Wells
Frank A. Shepherd
Leslie B. Rothenberg
Barbara Lagoa
Vance E. Salter
Kevin Emas
Ivan F. Fernandez
Thomas Logue
Edwin A. Scales, III

With the departure of Shepherd and Wells, once their two replacements are named (Luck and ?), Gov Scott will have named 50% of the sitting judges including Judges Fernandez, Logue, Scales, Luck and Judge Wells replacement. Scott's second four year term as Governor ends on January 3, 2019 and he is widely expected to run against Senator Bill Nelson in the Fall 2018 election.

Also, 3rd DCA Judge Salter turns 70 years old in 2018; Judge Rothenberg turns 70, I believe, in 2019 (not completely sure). So, there is a real chance that Scott could have at least two more appointments to the 3^rd before he leaves office.

CAPTAIN OUT .....
Captain4Justice@gmail.com