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]