TALLAHASSEE — The two newest Florida Supreme Court justices have been tapped by President Trump to fill seats on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck, Republicans, would replace Judges Gerald Bard Tjoflat and Stanley Marcus, according to a blog post on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida blog, upon Senate confirmation.
Lagoa was appointed to the state Supreme Court earlier this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Before that she was a district judge for the Florida Third District Court of Appeal, where she had been since 2006.She had also served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and had been a private practice attorney for 11 years.
Lagoa and Luck
Lagoa also spent time with the Florida Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee as chair. She earned a bachelor's degree from Florida International University and her law degree from Columbia Law School.
Luck also was appointed to the state Supreme Court by DeSantis earlier in the year. Prior to that he was a district judge for the Florida Third District Court of Appeal. He was also a circuit judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida until 2013.
Like Lagoa, Luck was also an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. He also served as an adjunct professor for Alabama State University. Luck holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that DeSantis praised Trump's nomination of the pair.
"President Trump has demonstrated great judgment in nominating Justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit," DeSantis said to the newspaper. "I appointed these two justices to the Florida Supreme Court for their demonstrated understanding of the Constitution and the appropriate role of the judiciary. We are proud of these two Floridians who have earned the respect of many for being great jurists and public servants. They will serve our nation well."