Trump picks Florida justices for federal court

President wants to remake system with more conservatives

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Supreme Court justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck, who’ve only served on the bench for eight months, could be headed to the federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals after President Trump nominated them to that powerful court Thursday.

The move is the latest of the president’s efforts to remake the federal court system with conservatives, such as U.S. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. It also highlights Trump’s close ties with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who narrowly won the governor’s race last fall with the support of the president.

If Lagoa and Luck are confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, it would create two more openings on the state’s high court for DeSantis to fill. He tapped Lagoa, Luck and Justice Carlos Muniz to the court shortly after taking office, following the forced retirement of three judges

due to age limits in the constitution. The three conservative picks replaced three liberal justices, transforming the balance of the court from a 4-3 liberal majority to a 6-1 conservative Florida Supreme Court.

The Atlanta-based 11th Circuit presides over cases from Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Lagoa and Luck would replace Judge Geral Tjoflat and Judge Stanley Marcus, who will take senior status on the court. Tjoflat and Marcus were nominated by President Gerald Ford and President Bill Clinton, respectively.

“President Trump has demonstrated great judgment in nominating Justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit,” DeSantis said in a released statement.

“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.”

The announcement of their appointments came late Thursday through the office of DeSantis, whose close ties to Trump helped him win the GOP primary and go on to defeat Democrat Andrew Gillum in the governor’s race last year.

Lagoa, 51, and Luck, 40, are both native Miami-Dade residents. They are both are members of the conservative Federalist Society, and both served on the Florida 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal before being named to the Florida Supreme Court in January.

Now, they’ll preside over cases for a court one step below the U.S. Supreme Court.

Luck was appointed to the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County by Gov. Rick Scott in 2013 before moving up to the state appellate court in 2017. Lagoa was named to the 3rd District Court of Appeal in 2006 by Gov. Jeb Bush.

Lagoa was the first female Cuban-American to be appointed to the Florida Supreme Court.

“Justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck have served Florida well as lawyers and jurists, and both are highly qualified to provide their knowledge and expertise to the entire country,” Florida Bar President John Stewart said in a prepared statement. “It is wellknown throughout Florida that they have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to apply the law to reach fair and just outcomes. I am excited about their continued public service to our state and now possibly to our country.”