July 10 Judicial Forum Features 11 Candidates in 5 Races
By Judi Hayes
Eleven candidates in five judges’ races took part in LWVOC’s Hot Topics judicial forum before a sellout crowd on July 10. It was another lively discussion, and League members and others were encouraged to review the candidates’ biographies on the website www.lwvoc.org/HotTopics RECAP and check www.vote411.org before voting.
With a nod to the recent rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court, First Vice President Lee Rambeau Kemp introduced the moderators, Ninth Circuit Court Judges Leticia Marques and Reginald Whitehead, and stressed the importance of the judiciary in shaping our democracy and preserving norms. All candidates will be on the Aug. 20 ballot, where most of the races will be decided. If you want to vote by mail, be sure to request a mail ballot by 5 p.m. Aug. 8 because all previous requests have expired.
The two candidates for County Court group 11 are Lisa Gong Guerrero, a board-certified trial attorney with extensive experience and a mom who immigrated to Central Florida as a child, and incumbent Judge Adam McGinnis. They were asked about the constitution of the court system and how to promote the administration of justice. Both expressed willingness to continue using technology to improve access to the courts.
In Circuit Court group 5, attorneys Joy Goodyear and LaShawnda K. Jackson are vying for the open seat. Goodyear is a career public defender and Jackson has spent her entire 22-year career in civil litigation with Rumberger, Kirk and Caldwell, serving as president of various voluntary bar associations including the Orange County, Virgil Hawkins, and Paul C. Perkins Bar Associations. They both addressed the important qualities of a judge and both confessed to the same weakness — difficulty in finding work/life balance — which is common, especially for women lawyers.
In Circuit Court group 15, three candidates are running — incumbent Jeff Ashton, attorney Chris Mack, and Alicia Peyton, a 15-year trial lawyer and mother of a child with special needs. They discussed their legal role models, the underrepresentation of women and people of color in the judiciary and the future of legal technology.
In Circuit Court group 37, Jason Willis, a civil litigator who specializes in medical malpractice and debt collection, faces Judge Tanya Davis Wilson. Wilson, the incumbent, is a former federal public defender and prosecutor who was appointed to the county bench, has rotated through family and criminal court and now sits in Osceola County. They discussed the obstacles to access to the court and their greatest challenges both personal and professional.
Finally, in circuit court group 43, attorney Stephen Brown, a litigator with broad experience in civil and criminal matters, faces incumbent Craig McCarthy, a former magistrate whose practice concentrated in juvenile court. Brown stressed the importance of keeping partisan politics out of the judiciary.
League questions included a request that the candidates identify whether they are affiliated with the Federalist Society — only Judge McCarthy answered in the affirmative — and whether they were familiar with Project 2025. Judge Ashton preemptively offered up the caveat that none of the candidates could address that issue because it could become the subject of litigation. Another league member asked about the privatization of prisons.