The Fifteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission (“JNC”) announces two (2) vacancies for Circuit Court Judge created by the elevation of Judge Caroline Shepherd to the Fourth District Court of Appeal and the resignation of Judge James Martz.  The JNC has been asked to provide Governor Ron DeSantis with nominees for the vacancies by Sunday, May 10, 2026.

Qualifications of Applicants:

Applicants must be able to fulfill the Constitutional qualifications for circuit and county court judges described in Article V, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution.

Instructions for Submission:

1) The current Judicial Application form must be used and can be found at https://www.flgov.com/judicial-and-judicial-nominating-commission-information/. Applicants should ensure they are using the correct and current form.

2) Applications must be in .pdf form and submitted as follows: (i) one original copy of the application, including all attachments, (ii) one redacted copy of the application, including all attachments, excluding all exempt information under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes or other applicable public records law. The two .pdf files should be named in a “last name.first name” format. For example: Jane Smith should submit two files named: (1) Smith.Jane.pdf and (2) Smith.Jane-REDACTED.pdf. Each electronic application, including exhibits, must be a single pdf file. The Commission strongly prefers the submission of applications in a text-searchable (i.e., non-scanned) pdf format.

3)  The deadline for submission of the completed application is 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2026. Both the original and redacted electronic applications must be submitted by email to all Commission members at their email addresses below:

 Chair Gordon Dieterle – [email protected]

Vice Chair Eric Levine – [email protected]

Steve DeLorenz – [email protected]

John Farina – [email protected]

Kelly Hagar – [email protected]

Robert Harvey – [email protected]

Barry Postman – [email protected]

Robert Rosenberg – [email protected]

William Shepherd – [email protected]

It is anticipated that the interviews will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

All JNC proceedings are open to the public, except for deliberations.  Applications are not confidential.  If an applicant is nominated, all materials attached to the original application will be submitted to the Governor.

If you have any questions, please call Mr. Dieterle at (561) 734-5552, or by email at [email protected]

The Fifteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission (“JNC”) takes pleasure in certifying the following nominees to fill one new Circuit Court judgeship created by the signing of SB 2508 by Governor Ron DeSantis and one County Court judgeship resulting from the elevation of Judge Danielle Sherriff to the Circuit Court:

Circuit Court Nominees:

1. Jonathan Bridges
2. Gabriel Ermine
3. Dane Leitner
4. Michael Rachel
5. Marci Rex
6. Christopher Sajdera

County Court Nominees:

1. Jonathan Bridges
2. Gabriel Ermine
3. Dane Leitner
4. Michael Rachel
5. Marci Rex
6. Sarah Sherman

A list of members of the Fifteenth Circuit JNC is available at https://www.flgov.com/judicial-and-judicial-nominating-commission-information/.

If you have any questions, please call Mr. Dieterle at (561) 734-5552, or by email at [email protected].

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The Fifteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission (“JNC”) announces that the following persons have applied for the Circuit Court Judge vacancy created by the signing of SB 2508 by Governor Ron DeSantis and the County Court Judge vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Danielle Sherriff to the Circuit Court:

• Karen Black
• Jonathan Bridges
• Lauren Clifton
• Gabriel Ermine
• Ron Herman
• Lauren Johnson
• Dane Leitner
• Jenica Lopez
• Ilana Marcus
• Jean Marie Middleton
• Angela Prudenti
• Michael Rachel
• Marci Rex
• Christopher Sajdera
• Sarah Sherman
• Schnelle Tonge
• Storm Tropea
• James Williams

Interviews will be conducted in person on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at the Library Conference Room, Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33401.

The interview schedule will be announced by separate release. All JNC proceedings are open to the public, except for deliberations.

If you have any questions, please contact Gordon Dieterle at (561) 734-5552, or by email at [email protected]

Please click here to view AO.