Former Jeb Bush staffer-turned-judge Bradford L. Thomas to retire

Bradford L. Thomas, appointed by Jeb Bush, will retire after a distinguished 20-year career on the 1st District Court of Appeal.

First District Court of Appeal Judge Bradford L. Thomas has announced his plans to retire from his position after a distinguished 20-year career.

Appointed by former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush in 2005, Thomas has served as a judge on the First District Court of Appeal for 20 years, and as a chief judge from July 2017 to June 2019. Before being named to the bench, he served in Bush’s administration as the Public Safety Policy Coordinator in the Governor’s office.

Thomas graduated from Florida State University in 1977, and the University of Florida’s College of law with honors in 1982. After graduation, Thomas worked in private practice in Big Pine Key, and served as Assistant Director of the Appellate Advocacy Program at the UF College of Law from 1982 to 1984.

From there, Thomas worked as the Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation from 1984 to 1987, moving on to work as the Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division from 1987 to 1989. Thomas has further served as the Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Parole Commission, and as an Assistant State Attorney in the Second Judicial Circuit.

Thomas has also made some high-profile rulings in recent years. Thomas had disagreed and ultimately ruled against state lawyers working for Gov. Ron DeSantis after they argued a Black-dominated congressional district in Northern Florida — Florida’s 5th Congressional District — was an illegal racial gerrymander, the Miami Times reported in November 2023.

State lawyers argued the district’s boundaries were intentionally distorted so a Black representative would go to Congress. Thomas disagreed and was part of a ruling that found the gerrymandering was political, not racial.

In 2022, Thomas threw out a temporary injunction that would have blocked a Florida law banning abortions from 15-weeks of pregnancy, according to WUWF.

Along with his extensive career experience, Thomas has received accolades such as the Criminal Justice Service Award, and the Florida Sheriffs Association’s Special Recognition Award. Thomas has also been published in the Cumberland Law Review and the Florida Bar Journal.

In his announcement of retirement to DeSantis, Thomas thanked “many colleagues on the court during the past twenty years for their service and dedication to the rule of law,” and specifically thanked former Gov. Bush for his appointment. Thomas officially leaves his role February 28.