TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – John D. Couriel was unanimously elected to be the next Chief Florida Supreme Court Justice, according to a press release.<\/p>\n
The judge is set to succeed current Chief Justice Carlos G. Muniz, who officially steps down on June 30. Couriel was first appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020.<\/p>\n
The Chief Justice is elected by the seven members of Florida\u2019s Supreme Court and serves a two-year term starting July 1. Responsibilities for the chief justice include working as a \u201cprimary spokesperson\u201d for the Supreme Court. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor many years, procedural rules dictated a preference for the longest-serving justice on the court who had not been chief justice to be selected, a description Justice Couriel fits. The rules now call for selection \u201cbased on managerial, administrative, and leadership abilities, without regard to seniority only\u201d, per the release.<\/p>\n
Florida Politics:<\/p>\n
Couriel is now set to be Florida\u2019s 58th chief justice. According to a press release, he was a partner at Kobre & Kimm LLP and also an assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.<\/p>\n
The newly appointed Chief Justice also previously worked at Davis Polk in New York for five years and was a law clerk for Judge John D. Bates at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n
Couriel, also a Miami native, earned a bachelor\u2019s degree from Harvard College and a law degree from Harvard Law School. <\/p>\n
Couriel said he was grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am grateful to my colleagues for their trust and am indebted to the previous chief justices with whom I\u2019ve served. I will do my best to serve the people of Florida as they so ably have.\u201d<\/p>\n
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