W. Matthew Stevenson

W. Matthew Stevenson

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

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Education

Bachelor's

Florida State University, 1975

Law

Florida State University College of Law, 1978

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W. Matthew Stevenson was a judge on the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal. He retired on May 31, 2016.

Judge Stevenson was appointed by Democratic Governor Lawton Chiles in 1994 and was most recently retained by voters in 2014. His last term would have expired on January 4, 2021. 

Stevenson served as chief judge from July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2007.

Education

Stevenson received his bachelor's degree from Florida State University in 1975. He earned his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law in 1978.

Career

• 1994-2016: Judge, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal

• 2005-2007: Chief judge

• 1990-1994: Judge, Florida 15th Judicial Circuit
• 1987-1990: Attorney, Mediator, Mediation Inc.
• 1985-1986: Administrative hearing officer, Florida Division of Administrative Hearings
• 1981-1985: Commissioned officer, Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps (U.S. Navy)
• 1979-1980: Law clerk, Judge Joseph W. Hatchett
• 1978-1979: Assistant public defender, Florida 15th Judicial Circuit

Noteworthy cases

Court reinstates wrongful death claim (2014)

A woman was allowed to amend her deceased mother's complaint against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc., Lorillard Tobacco Co. and Liggett Group LLC to include a claim for wrongful death.

Articles:

• Daily Business Review, "Court Revives Tobacco Suit After Woman's Mother Dies," August 13, 2014
• Law360.com, "Fla. Court Restores Wrongful Death Claim By Smoker's Estate," August 13, 2014

Elections

2014

See also: Florida judicial elections, 2014

Stevenson was retained to the Fourth District Court of Appeal with 76.2 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014.  

Bar evaluation

The Florida Bar conducted a poll of its members regarding the appellate judges up for retention in 2014. 92% of respondents recommended Stevenson for retention.

Previous elections

Stevenson was retained by voters in 1996, 2002, and 2008.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Florida Matthew Stevenson Judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

W. Matthew Stevenson - Google News

See also

Florida	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Florida Florida Court of Appeals Florida Supreme Court	Elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Florida	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, "Judges"

Footnotes

Florida courts

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Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida

State courts:

Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court

State resources:

Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida