A respected and caring judge and former state prosecutor has died.
Sara Miles, spokesperson for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, shared that Lee Circuit Judge John Carlin died just after 5 p.m. March 5.
“Judge Carlin served the people of Southwest Florida for over 35 years, first as a Lee County Judge and later as a Circuit Court Judge,” Miles wrote in an emailed statement. “Throughout his years on the bench, he earned the respect of colleagues and members of the legal community for his commitment to the judicial process and his service to the community.”
Carlin was married to Lee County School Superintendent Denise Carlin.
John Carlin graduated from The Ohio State University, where he also received his law degree.
He first served as an assistant state attorney in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit and was in private practice prior to his election on Sept. 4, 1990, as a Lee County Judge.
Carlin was honored as the 1993 Florida Judge of the Year by the Florida Law Related Education Association and at the time of his death served as the chairman for Law Week in Lee County, according to his biography on the Twentieth Judicial Circuit’s website.
Carlin was re-elected in 1994 to serve a second term as a Lee County judge and two years later was elected without opposition to serve as a circuit court judge in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit. He was re-elected in 2002, 2008 and 2014 without opposition to serve as a circuit court judge.
In a statement on social media, Kevin Karnes, clerk of the circuit court and comptroller of Lee County, wrote that Carlin “was known for his compassion, his kindness, and his ability to always connect with those around him.”
“He truly cared about people and would often go out of his way to walk around the Justice Center just to check in on the court clerks or simply say ‘hi,'” Karnes wrote.
Rob Spicker, spokesperson for the Lee County School District, said Denise Carlin was sworn in as superintendent on Nov. 19, 2024 after a 32-year career with the school district. She had retired June 30, 2023.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ‘Commitment to judicial process’: SW Florida mourns longtime judge
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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