U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Florida · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Eleventh Circuit.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eleventh Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
- Marcia M. Howard
- Mary S. Scriven
- Sheri P. Chappell
- Paul G. Byron
- Carlos E. Mendoza
- William F. Jung
- Thomas P. Barber
- Wendy W. Berger
- John L. Badalamenti
- Kathryn K. Mizelle
- Julie S. Sneed
- Kyle C. Dudek
- Anne-Leigh G. Moe
- Jordan E. Pratt
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
- Elizabeth A. Kovachevich
- Patricia C. Fawsett
- Anne C. Conway
- Harvey E. Schlesinger
- Steven D. Merryday
- Henry L. Adams Jr.
- Susan C. Bucklew
- Richard A. Lazzara
- John Antoon II
- James S. Moody Jr.
- Gregory A. Presnell
- James D. Whittemore
- Timothy J. Corrigan
- Virginia M. H. Covington
- Charlene V. E. Honeywell
- Roy B. Dalton Jr.
- Brian J. Davis
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
John Antoon II (current) · Carlos Eduardo Mendoza (current) · Elizabeth Anne Kovachevich (current) · John Leonard Badalamenti (current) · James D. Whittemore (current) · Thomas Patrick Barber (current) · Patricia C. Fawsett (current) · Mary Stenson Scriven (current) · Anne C. Conway (current) · William Frederic Jung (current) · Harvey Erwin Schlesinger (current) · Marcia Morales Howard (current) · Susan C. Bucklew (current) · Charlene Vanessa Edwards Honeywell (current) · Kyle Christopher Dudek (current) · Henry Lee Adams Jr. (current) · Roy Bale Dalton Jr. (current) · Julie Simone Sneed (current) · Richard A. Lazzara (current) · Brian Jordan Davis (current) · Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe (current) · Virginia Maria Hernandez Covington (current) · Kathryn Kimball Mizelle (current) · Steven Douglas Merryday (current) · Jordan Emery Pratt (current) · Wendy Williams Berger (current) · James S. Moody Jr. (current) · Paul Gregory Byron (current) · Gregory A. Presnell (current) · Sheri Polster Chappell (current) · Timothy J. Corrigan (current) · George Cressler Young · William Terrell Hodges · William John Castagna
Former judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| John E. Steele | Clinton (D) | 2000–2026 |
| Ralph Wilson Nimmons Jr. | G.H.W. Bush (R) | 1991–2003 |
| George Kendall Sharp | Reagan (R) | 1983–2022 |
| John Henry Moore II | Reagan (R) | 1981–2013 |
| Susan Harrell Black | Carter (D) | 1979–1992 |
| William John Castagna | Carter (D) | 1979–2020 |
| George Carter Carr | Carter (D) | 1977–1990 |
| Howell Webster Melton Sr. | Carter (D) | 1977–2015 |
| John Alton Reed Jr. | Nixon (R) | 1973–1984 |
| William Terrell Hodges | Nixon (R) | 1971–2022 |
| Gerald Bard Tjoflat | Nixon (R) | 1970–1975 |
| Isaac Benjamin Krentzman Jr. | L.B. Johnson (D) | 1967–1998 |
| Charles Ray Scott | L.B. Johnson (D) | 1966–1983 |
| Joseph Patrick Lieb | Reassigned | 1962–1971 |
| William Allan McRae Jr. | Reassigned | 1962–1973 |
| John Milton Bryan Simpson | Reassigned | 1962–1966 |
| George Cressler Young | By assignment | 1962–2015 |
Magistrate judges
Appointed by the judges of this district to renewable 8-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. They handle pretrial matters, misdemeanors, and many civil cases by consent.
| Magistrate judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Leslie R. Hoffman | 2019–present |
| Nicolas P. Mizell | 2019–present |
| Sean P. Flynn | 2018–present |
| Christopher P. Tuite | 2018–present |
| Daniel C. Irick | 2016–present |
| Amanda Sansone | 2016–present |
| Mac R. McCoy | 2015–present |
| Julie Sneed | 2015–present |
| Carol Mirando | 2014–present |
| Patricia Barksdale | 2013–present |
| Philip R. Lammens | 2012–present |
| Thomas B. Smith | 2011–present |
| Joel B. Toomey | 2010–present |
| Anthony E. Porcelli | 2009–present |
| Gregory J. Kelly | 2008–present |
| James R. Klindt | 2007–present |
| Monte C. Richardson | 2003–present |
| Douglas N. Frazier | 2000–present |
| Mark Pizzo | 1995–present |
| David A. Baker | 1991–present |
| Elizabeth A. Jenkins | 1985–present |
| Thomas G. Wilson | 1979–present |
| Embry J. Kidd | ––present |
| Karla R. Spaulding | 1997–2019 |
| Thomas McCoun III | 1994–2018 |
Bankruptcy court
Practicing before this court
The rules that govern a case here (the M.D. Florida’s local rules, standing orders, and each judge’s own procedures) live on the court’s official site. Direct links:
- Local rules
- Standing & general orders
- Judges' individual procedures
- Electronic filing (CM/ECF)
- M.D. Florida official website
Links to the court’s own site, verified 2026-07-05. Rules change. Confirm against the court’s current posting before filing.
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1962. This court is also served by magistrate judges, listed above, whom the district’s own judges appoint. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data). Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC); magistrates 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying.