Janelle Irwin Taylor
Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Richard Martin to serve as a Judge in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County.
Martin has been serving as a County Court Judge in Hillsborough County since 2023, a position to which DeSantis also appointed him.
When DeSantis appointed him at the time, Martin was tapped to fill the vacancy created by former Judge Suzy Lopez, whom DeSantis appointed to replace former State Attorney Andrew Warren after the Governor removed him from office citing his policies to not prosecute certain crimes, such as abortion law violations.
Martin had previously served as Chief of Staff for the Florida Attorney General since 2020, serving under former Attorney General Ashley Moody. Prior to that, from 2019 until 2020, he served as General Counsel in the Attorney General’s Office.
In addition to his public service, Martin worked for more than 14 years in private practice, for the Tampa office of Miami-based Ackerman.
Martin holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and earned his law degree from Florida State University. He will fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe, who was previously appointed by DeSantis to serve as a Judge on the Second District Court of Appeal.
