Jesse Scheckner
Michael A. Robinson, a longtime Judge with the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, just earned honors from the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association.
The organization bestowed Robinson the Justice Peggy A. Quince Judicial Excellence Award for his “outstanding service and significant contribution to the fair administration of justice for all people.”
Judge Charlene E. Honeywell, a senior district Judge with the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida, also received the award.
Benjamin J. Garcia, President of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter, described Robinson’s impact on the South Florida community as “profound and positive.”
Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Robinson, a Plantation resident, was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1983 after earning his Juris Doctor from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. He worked in private practice and as an Assistant Public Defender until 2007, when he was appointed General Magistrate of the 17th Judicial Circuit. Former Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Robinson three years later as a circuit court Judge.
Today, he presides over civil proceedings.
“Your dedication to upholding the highest standards of judicial conduct aligns perfectly with the principles for which this award was established,” Garcia wrote in a letter announcing the award, which Robinson received Nov. 22 at the FAMU College of Law in Orlando.
“Your tireless efforts in multiple areas of the law have set a standard of excellence and your impact has been felt far beyond the courtroom.”
Chief Judge Jack Tuter of the 17th Judicial Circuit agreed. He called Robinson’s winning the award — named for former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy A. Quince, the first African American woman to sit on the state’s highest court and head any branch of Florida government — a “consequential achievement.”
“Judge Robinson’s work on the independence and diversity of the judiciary is never-ending,” Tuter said in a statement. “There is no judge in this state more deserving of this recognition.”
Robinson’s contributions and achievements are many and varied. He served as President of the T.J. Reddick Bar Association, Legal Aid of Broward and Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and Chair of Florida Bar Grievance and Arbitration committees.
In 1992, he was named a “Rising Star” by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Nine years later, he was listed among the “50 Most Powerful Black Professionals in South Florida.”
In 2022, Judge Robinson received the Judicial Diversity Initiative Award, which recognizes Judges who promote diversity in the legal profession and on the bench. The year before, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Broward County Black Pan Hellenic Council. He has also previously been honored by the Broward Bar Association, the T.J. Reddick Bar Association, the Haitian Bar Association and the Caribbean Bar Association.
Noteworthy recent verdicts he oversaw included a $5 million award in 2022 for a woman who sustained injuries after slipping in a Whole Foods, and a nearly $54 million verdict last year for the family of a man killed in a car crash.
Robinson and his wife, retired Judge Mary Rudd-Robinson, are also active in the community and donate time and financial resources to historically Black colleges and universities, according to his Western Bar Association bio.
In a statement, he said he is “honored and humbled” by his most recent recognition.
“Members of the judiciary must follow the law and make rulings accordingly,” he said. “We are gladiators for justice, equity, fairness for all. We must maintain and support the rule of law.”
