L-R: Judge Edwin A. Scales, Judge William Thomas, and Judge Bronwyn C. Miller have applied to join the Florida Supreme Court. Photos: J. ALbert Diaz/ALM.

Of the 32 judges and attorneys who've raised their hands to replace newly minted federal judges Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck on the Florida Supreme Court, 15 are from South Florida.

The list of applicants now goes to the Judicial Nominating Commission, which has the task of interviewing the candidates and selecting finalists for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' consideration. Due to rules about the composition of the court, one of the seats is guaranteed to come from the Third Appellate District, which covers Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Without retired Justices Peggy Quince and Barbara Pariente, and now Lagoa, Florida's state court has no black or female jurists for the first time in recent history, so DeSantis is expected to diversify the court's composition.

Here's a look at South Florida's candidates:

From Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties: 

Third District Court of Appeal Judge Norma Lindsey began her judicial career when Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to the Miami-Dade County Court in 2006. Gov. Rick Scott then elevated her to the circuit bench in 2011 and to her current post in 2017. As an attorney, Lindsey specialized in commercial litigation and served as JNC chair for the Third DCA.

Third DCA Judge Bronwyn Miller was appointed the county court bench in 2005, and won a contested retention election the following year. Gov. Charlie Crist elevated her to the circuit court in 2010 and she joined the appellate bench in 2018. In her previous legal life, Miller was a prosecutor for the Miami State Attorney's Office, serving as training director and division chief in the felony unit, and was an adjunct professor at Florida International University.

Third DCA Judge Edwin Scales III was the first Monroe County attorney ever appointed to the appeals court in 2010, before which he had a solo practice in Key West. Scales focused on appellate, commercial and real estate litigation, administrative law and mediation, and was also of counsel to Florida firm GrayRobinson. He's served on multiple boards and commissions, including the Florida Commission on Ethics and the Federal JNC for the Southern District of Florida.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge William Thomas rose to his post in 2005, following stints as a state and federal public defender. President Barack Obama selected Thomas for the Southern District of Florida bench in 2012, but the nomination never left the ground because Sen. Marco Rubio later withdrew his support. Admitted to the bar in 1995, Thomas holds a bachelor's degree from Washington & Jefferson College and a law degree from Temple University.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Daryl Trawick took office in 2014, appointed by Gov. Bush and later reelected. He's a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida and served as chief of special prosecutions before rising to the county court bench. Trawick holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and a law degree from Howard University, and has also served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force and a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

John Couriel is an attorney with Miami firm Kobre & Kim, where he represents companies high-stakes cross-borders disputes and uses his native fluency in Spanish to concentrate on Latin America. He's previously served as a federal prosecutor, focusing on cases involving wire fraud, money laundering health care fraud and other conspiracies. Couriel obtained his bachelor's and law degrees from Harvard University.

Eliot Pedrosa is a Miami attorney and U.S. representative on the Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank, a post President Donald Trump nominated him for in 2018. For 19 years, Pedrosa was chairman of Greenberg Traurig's Miami litigation department, where he handled international and commercial litigation. He has also served as vice chairman for the Third DCA's JNC. Pedrosa obtained his bachelor's degree from Florida International University and his law degree from Harvard University.

From Broward and Palm Beach Counties:

Fourth DCA Judge Jonathan Gerber took office in 2009 and has served as chief judge. Before rising to the county and circuit benches, Gerber worked at Shutts & Bowen in West Palm Beach.

Gov. Scott appointed Fourth DCA Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz to his post in 2016. Before then, Kuntz was a shareholder at GrayRobinson, handling litigation and appeals.

Broward Circuit Judge Fabienne Fahnestock joined the unified family division in 2017 after spending 15 years at Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, focusing on business and employment law.

Gov. Bush appointed Broward Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips to the civil division in 2003, and she's twice been reelected. As an attorney, she specialized in insurance defense and personal injury law.

Manuel Farach is an attorney at McGlinchey Stafford's Fort Lauderdale office, where he concentrates on real estate, business litigation and appellate law. He's advised businesses and government agencies in multiple arenas and has significant mediation and arbitration experience.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Howard Coates Jr. rose to his post from the county court bench in 2015 after more than five years with McDonald Hopkins in West Palm Beach. Coates holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Yale University.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Renatha Francis recently moved from the Miami-Dade Circuit to fill a vacancy following the death of Judge Meenu Sasser. Francis was an attorney at Shutts & Bowen before she rose to county court in 2017.

 

Read more:

4 Women Sit on 3rd DCA for the First Time After Miami Judge, Prosecutor Rise to Bench

Lagoa Confirmation Creates 2 State Supreme Court Openings