Gov. DeSantis appoints four new judges in Jacksonville, Sarasota

Gov. Ron DeSantis is picking three Jacksonville area jurists along with one from Sarasota to fill gaps in the judiciary this week.

Jacksonville’s Jordan Pratt will replace retired Judge Kerry Evander on the Fifth District Court of Appeal. Since 2021, Pratt has been senior counsel for the First Liberty Institute, an organization focused on religious freedom for conservatives.

Prior to that, the Double Gator (and undergraduate valedictorian) clerked for federal judges and served as counsel for federal and state governmental divisions. Pratt was Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Senior Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice, and Deputy Solicitor General for the Florida Office of the Solicitor General.

Pratt also clerked for Judge Jennifer Elrod at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge Harvey Schlesinger at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Ponte Vedra’s Jonathan Sacks will replace retired Judge Adrian Soud on the 4th Judicial Circuit Court. He previously was an Assistant State Attorney in the 4th Circuit. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Richmond, and got both a master’s degree and a law degree from Florida State University (FSU).

Brooke Brady will replace retired Judge Roberto Arias on the Duval County Circuit Court. She was an ASA in the 4th Circuit, with a bachelor’s degree from FSU and a law degree from Stetson.

Finally, Ryan Felix will replace Judge Dana Moss on the Sarasota County Court, after Moss’ elevation to the 12th Judicial Circuit.

Felix has been an ASA in the 12th Circuit since 2012. He did his undergraduate work at UF and got his law degree from the University of Cincinnati.