WHO TO KNOW TO BECOME A FEDERAL DISTRICT JUDGE IN TAMPA ST. PETERSBURG CLEARWATER IN THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

The Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission is accepting applications for a United States District Judge position in the Middle District of Florida an area including Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, where your favorite Criminal Attorney presides over his golden retriever, Sancho and an occasional glass or more of red wine. Here is an interesting list of the folks who interviewed for the last Federal District Court vacancy. Will they still be interested?

The purpose of the Nominating Commission is to present the President with the best possible applicants, to take some of the politics out of the process, to make the process fair and transparent and to find a Judge whom the federal practice lawyers on the Commission trust to be - well, to be what exactly - fair and impartial or malleable? Unfortunately those members of the Commission who are attorneys are not barred from Federal practice making a farce of the entire process. Why have attorneys who practice in Federal Court on the Commission? Why have attorneys on the Commission? Isn't that an automatic conflict of interest? Here is a list of the members of the the Middle District of Florida Nominating Commission.

The vacancy was created when Judge Gregory A. Presnell’s gained senior status. Though Federal District Judges are appointed for life, they can opt to take on a less stressful schedule by taking senior status. 
The oldest sitting Federal Judge is Judge Wesley Brown of Kansas whose one caveat is "no lengthy trials" which makes sense at age 103 and if your favorite Pinellas crime lawyer was that old he'd be avoiding lengthy trials too... 
Anyway, applications for the judicial appointment can be obtained from the Florida Bar Online or at any Costco with a $50 membership fee. Completed applications must be received by the Commission's Statewide Chair and each Commission member in the manner specified by the Rules of Procedure by 5 p.m., Wednesday, January 18, 2012.

Potential Judges -- get to work on that application & brush up on those interviewing skills.

Vincent van Gogh, Man Writing Facing Left, 1881