PBC judge Edward Artau appointed to appeals bench (2024)
A Palm Beach County circuit judge who was a leader in the Republican Party has been appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeal.
Judge Edward Artau, who was appointed to the circuit bench by Gov. Rick Scott in 2014, on Wednesday was elevated to the appellate court by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Artau, who graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and is the son of Cuban immigrants, replaces Judge Carole Taylor, the first African-American woman to serve on the West Palm Beach-based appeals court.
The appointment means it will be the first time since 1994 that there are no black judges on the court that hears appeals from Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
While two black circuit court judges also were recommended for the post, one has since been appointed to the Florida Supreme Court. DeSantis appointed Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Renatha Francis to the state’s highest court last month even though she won’t be eligible to serve until Sept. 24.
Broward County Circuit Judge Fabienne Fahnestock, who is black, was also among the six judges and attorneys selected by a judicial nominating committee for DeSantis to consider.
DeSantis has appointed judges, including Francis, who are members of the conservative Federalist Society. The group’s website calls Artau a “contributor” and he has spoken at one of its meetings.
For the last several months, Artau has handled juvenile cases but before presided over civil disputes. The 56-year-old Boca Raton resident was working as general counsel for the South Florida Water Management District when Scott appointed him to the bench. He was re-elected without opposition in 2016.
Before his appointment to the bench he was a precinct chairman for the local Republican Party and worked for the election of George W. Bush. He also worked as counsel for the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office under Arthur Anderson.
In 1995, his role on a Judicial Nominating Commission sparked a gubernatorial investigation. It concluded that he shouldn't have pushed for Maria Sachs to be recommended to the circuit bench because her husband had arranged for his appointment to the panel.
Sachs didn’t become a judge but later went served in the Florida Legislature. This week she qualified to run for a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
Governor DeSantis has appointed the Hon.Edward Artau to serve as a Judge on the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Judge Artau has served as a Circuit Judge in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit since 2014. Most recently he was assigned to the Juvenile Division.
Florida trial and appellate judges would also see another round of pay enhancements under the latest budget plan. The FY 2024-25 budget would increase a district court of appeal judge's salary from $212,562 to $218,939 annually. A circuit judge's salary would increase from $191,163 annually to $196,898.
Are all judges elected in Florida? No. Currently, most circuit court judges and county court judges are elected. If a circ*mstance arises where there is a mid-term vacancy -- for example, if a judge retires, resigns or dies before the end of the judge's term -- the governor fills the position by appointment.
The Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal handles appeals and extraordinary writ cases from the Fifteenth, Seventeenth, and Nineteenth Judicial Circuits, which are composed of Palm Beach, Broward, St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River, and Okeechobee Counties.
Although the courts did not request it, the proposed budget would also increase a Supreme Court justice's salary from $227,218 to $239,442. A district court of appeal judge's salary would increase from $192,105 to $202,440.
Average U.S. Court of Appeals Judge yearly pay in the United States is approximately $194,028, which is 150% above the national average. Salary information comes from 3 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisem*nts on Indeed in the past 36 months.
The appellate court is the court that hears the appeal of a trial court's decision. In the information in this section, the term "appellate court" is used to refer to the Court of Appeal or the appellate division of the superior court. The "trial court" is the court that made the decision you are appealing.
Created in 1966 by amendment of the Florida Constitution, the Judicial Qualifications Commission ("JQC") is an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct and disability by all judges within the state of Florida.
Unlike a jury verdict, an appellate court decision does not have to be unanimous. A majority decides the case. That means that a Court of Appeals case can be decided by two out of three judges, and a Supreme Court case can be decided by four out of seven justices.
The highest appellate court in Florida, the Florida Supreme Court's 170+ years span a time when the state was the least populated (1845) to the present when it ranks third nationwide. Decisions stemming from Florida's highest court have helped shape, certainly, the state itself, and the nation as well.
The role of the Courts of Appeal is not to give new trials, but to review the record in the trial court case to decide if a legal mistake was made and if that mistake affected the final outcome of the trial court case. The Courts of Appeal cannot review death penalty cases.
Decisions of the Florida Supreme Court are binding on all lower courts in the state. Decisions of a District Court of Appeal are binding on the lower courts (i.e., the Circuit Courts and County Courts) within its jurisdiction.
In general, County Courts, sometimes called "the people's courts", are courts of limited jurisdiction where minor criminal (misdemeanor) and civil cases are heard. In the Circuit Courts, which are the highest state trial courts in Florida, major criminal (felony), civil, family, juvenile and probate matters are heard.
The highest Court in Florida is the Supreme Court, which is composed of seven Justices. At least five Justices must participate in every case and at least four must agree for a decision to be reached. The Court's official headquarters is the Supreme Court Building in Tallahassee.
The circuit courts are referred to as the courts of general jurisdiction. Circuit courts hear all criminal and civil matters not within the jurisdiction of county courts, including family law, juvenile delinquency and dependency, mental health, probate, guardianship, and civil matters over $15,000.
Florida: According to a recent study by the National Center for the State Courts, Florida justice and judge salaries hover around the national average. As of January of this year, justices of the Florida Supreme Court make $157,976 per year, which ranks as 19th in the nation.
Adjusted for cost of living, the lowest paid judges were in New Hampshire, followed by Hawaii and Nevada. For the 42 states that use intermediate appellate courts, the highest paid judges were in California with an average salary of $264,542, followed by Illinois at $243,256 and Pennsylvania at $230,974.
The highest-paying judge in the country is the Chief Justice of India earning a salary of INR 30 LPA. In order to Become a Judge, aspiring candidates can pursue various law courses such as LLB, BA LLB, BBA LLB, and BCom LLB from the top law colleges in India.
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