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In the first step toward the governor appointing all members of judicial nominating commissions statewide, Jeb Bush picks six white lawyers for the 5th Circuit. Two are women.
By CARRIE JOHNSON and JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2001
INVERNESS -- A Citrus County assistant state attorney and a Crystal River personal injury litigator are among the people who have been selected to help pick Citrus County's next judges.
Gov. Jeb Bush named six people Thursday to the judicial nominating commission that will screen potential judges for the 5th Circuit, which is composed of Citrus, Marion, Hernando, Lake and Sumter counties.
All six of the appointees are white lawyers. Two are women, and five of the six are registered Republicans. Political information for the sixth candidate was not available.
Under a law passed this spring by the Florida Legislature, the governor will ultimately name all the members of the state's 26 judicial nominating commissions.
This summer, Bush is appointing six members to the nine-member commissions. Three existing members selected by the Florida Bar will serve out the remainder of their terms. When they leave, the governor will select their replacements.
Under the old law, the governor appointed only three members of the commission.
Bush's selections for the 5th Circuit include:
Anne W. Corcoran, 29, of Crystal River, a lawyer specializing in personal injury litigation for Corcoran & Corcoran. A former assistant state attorney, Corcoran has served on the 5th Circuit's judicial nominating commission since July 2000.
Eric H. Faddis, 42, of Leesburg, an attorney with Faddis, Oldham & Smith. Faddis received a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from South Texas College of Law.
Michael A. Graves, 43, of Leesburg, attorney with Graves & Spivey, P.A. Graves served as the assistant public defender for the 6th Circuit from 1982-84, and the chief assistant public defender for the 5th Circuit from 1984-1990.
Lisa Herndon, 36, of Williston, Assistant State Attorney, 5th Judicial Circuit. Herndon is the supervisor of the state attorney's office in Citrus County.
Thomas S. Hogan, 46, of Brooksville, an attorney with the Hogan Law Firm. Hogan was an assistant state attorney for the 6th Circuit from 1981-85, and for the 5th Circuit from 1985-89.
H. Randolph Klein, 49, of Ocala, a self-employed attorney. Klein is the past president of the Marion County Bar Association and former chairman of the 5th Circuit Grievance Committee.
The new law, intended to give the governor more influence over the judiciary, has sparked controversy among some members of the Legislature. State Rep. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River, voted against the new method of selecting commission members. She said the system gives the governor too much power to shape the judiciary.
"This is not right. You don't stack the deck like this," Argenziano said last week when addressing the Kings Bay Rotary Club.
State Sen. Richard Mitchell, a Democrat who represents west Citrus, also voted against the measure.
Citrus County's third lawmaker, Sen. Anna Cowin, R-Leesburg, completely supported the measure. In fact, she was the bill's architect.
During an interview Thursday, Cowin said she liked this bill better than other versions she has proposed and supported since going to Tallahassee in 1997. She said the system is worthy because it gives more power to the governor, who is elected and accountable to the people, and less power to the Florida Bar's governors.
"They weren't answerable to anybody," Cowin said.
Ocala lawyer Carol Falvey has served on the 5th Judicial Circuit commission and currently serves on the 5th District Court of Appeal commission. She said she preferred the former system, which limited the governor's power to appoint commission members.
"I think it's very short-sighted," she said of the new system. "I don't think it's good for a governor to have that power."