Governor RONALD DION DeSANTIS has appointed Ponte Vedra corporate lawyer Lauren Blocker to the newly created County Court judgeship for St. Johns County. I've read her application, and she is superbly qualified.
It looks like she won the book award (highest grade) in most, if not all, of her law school classes. She got the highest score on the Florida Bar exam. She was first in her law school classs.
But she never tried a case in court as first chair, and was second chair only once. Reminds me of what President John F. Kennedy said after he named his brother and campaign manager, Robert Francis Kennedy as his Attorney General, about "giving Robert a little legal experience before heroes not and practices law."
Governor DeSANTIS office news release stated, in haec verba:
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"Lauren Blocker to serve as Judge on the St. Johns County Court
Lauren Blocker has served as Corporate Counsel to Fidelity Information Services since 2018. Previously, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Mirando, U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia D. Barksdale, and U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her law degree from Florida Coastal. Blocker fills the new judicial vacancy on St. Johns County Court created by the Florida Legislature.
Our St. Johns County Commission Chair, Jeremiah Ray Blocker, had the good taste to marry her.
Congratulations!
There have been some technical difficulties tonight, but hopefully you can read her impressive redacted application to the 7th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission: