Columbia County, Florida (Judicial)

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Columbia County is located within the Florida 3rd Circuit Court.

The people of Columbia County are served by a circuit court and a county court.

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida has jurisdiction in Columbia County. Appeals from the Middle District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Judges

Columbia County, Florida

Circuit courts

Florida 3rd Circuit Court


County courts

Columbia County Court, Florida


Elections

See also: Florida judicial elections

Florida is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Florida, click here.

Election rules

Primary election

To get on the ballot, candidates for judicial office are required to obtain signatures equal to at least one percent of the number of registered electors in the geographic boundary of the district.[3] Trial court judicial candidates compete in nonpartisan primaries designed to narrow the field to two candidates for the general election. Candidates who receive a simple majority (fifty percent plus one vote) of the vote in the primary are considered winners and are not on the ballot in the general election unless a write-in candidate qualifies for the same office. Candidates who are unopposed for any office do not appear on the ballot and are considered automatically elected.[4][5]

General election

In the general election, trial court candidates compete in nonpartisan elections. Partisan organizations and political parties are forbidden from endorsing, supporting, or opposing candidates for office.[6]

Retention election

Retention elections for appellate judges ask voters a "yes" or "no" question of whether or not to retain a judge to another term. The judges do not face competition on the ballot. If a majority of votes are in favor of a particular judge, that judge will be retained to a new term.[7]


See also

External links

Footnotes