- Reginald J. Clyne, Esq.
Judge Daryl E. Trawick is now before the State Appellate Judicial Nominating Committee.
Years ago, when Jeb Bush was running for governor, I challenged him to appoint a diverse bench. He rose to that demand by appointing a more representative selection of judges than any governor in the history of Florida. A flood of African American, Hispanic, women and LGBTQ+ lawyers became a part of our judiciary, and I became a fan of his because they were some of the best judges this state had ever witnessed.
In contrast, former Gov. Rick Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis have abysmal records when it comes to appointing African Americans.
Scott appointed just one judge of color to the District Court of Appeals out of 35 appointments. He appointed only three out of 178 appointments to the lower courts. And DeSantis must have received his cue from Scott, because his record is equally deplorable.
Out of the 30 appointments he’s made to the Appellate Court, our current governor appointed just one African American, and he’s made just three such appointments out of 123 to the lower courts. He also appointed Renatha Francis to the Florida Supreme Cour
(Reginald Clyne, Esq.)
This country has realized that judges on the U.S. Supreme Court matter, but we must realize that all judges matter and push to get the best and brightest on the bench.
In Miami-Dade County, Judge Daryl E. Trawick is now before the State Appellate Judicial Nominating Committee. Everyone is waiting to see if this highly qualified judge is moved to the appellate bench or if DeSantis will stick with his track record of turning his back on Black judicial candidates.
