The Florida Supreme Court has unanimously selected Justice John D. Couriel as the state’s next chief justice, putting him in charge of Florida’s judicial branch for a two-year term that begins July 1.
Couriel, 48, will succeed current Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz, who will remain on the seven-member court after completing his second term as chief justice on June 30. Court spokesman Paul Flemming shared the announcement on April 16.
“I am grateful to my colleagues for their trust,” Couriel said in a statement, adding that he is “indebted to the previous chief justices” with whom he has served and pledging to “do my best to serve the people of Florida as they so ably have.”
Couriel soon will lead a court transformed by Gov. Ron DeSantis into a solidly conservative body, shifting what had formerly been a liberal-leaning panel into one dominated by Republican-appointed picks. DeSantis has said he picks judges who share his originalist, textualist philosophy – interpreting laws as written, not legislating from the bench.
Six of the seven sitting justices, including Couriel, are DeSantis appointments. Jorge Labarga, named by then-Gov. Charlie Crist in January 2009, now is the sole dissenter on many opinions.
For instance, the court under DeSantis has backed key Republican priorities, including clearing the way for a strict six-week abortion ban to take effect, and upheld a congressional redistricting map that dismantled a North Florida district represented by a Black Democrat.
What is the role of Florida’s chief justice?
The chief justice serves as the administrative head of both the Supreme Court and the statewide court system, acting as the primary voice on issues of broad judicial policy, including court management, operations, legislative priorities and budget needs, the court’s news release explained.
Under internal court procedures, the justices choose one of their colleagues to serve as chief justice for a two-year term beginning July 1 of even-numbered years.
For many years, tradition favored selecting the longest-serving justice who had not yet held the role – a description Couriel fits – but current rules say the position should be filled “based on managerial, administrative, and leadership abilities, without regard to seniority only,” the release said.
Who is John Couriel?
Before joining the court, Couriel was a partner at Kobre & Kim LLP, focusing on cross-border litigation. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, prosecuting international money laundering, public corruption, health care fraud and human trafficking cases.
Couriel also worked at Davis Polk in New York for five years and began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The Miami native received his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Harvard College and his law degree from Harvard Law School; his parents emigrated from Cuba to the United States in the 1960s.
He is married to Dr. Rebecca L. Toonkel, senior associate dean for academic affairs at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. They have two children.
Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Supreme Court names John Couriel chief justice
Reporting by Jim Rosica, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
