Mark E. Walker

Mark Eaton Walker
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Assumed office
June 2018
Preceded by Margaret Catharine Rodgers
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Assumed office
December 7, 2012
Appointed by Barack Obama
Preceded by Stephan P. Mickle
Personal details
Born Mark Eaton Walker
1967 (age 50–51)
Winter Garden, Florida
Education University of Florida (B.A.)
Fredric G. Levin College of Law (J.D.)

Mark Eaton Walker (born 1967) is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Biography

Born in Winter Garden, Florida, Walker received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1989, graduating first in his class. He received his Juris Doctor from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 1992, magna cum laude. He clerked for Judge Emmett Ripley Cox of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 1993 to 1994. He clerked for Justice Stephen H. Grimes of the Florida Supreme Court from 1994 to 1996. He clerked for Judge Robert Lewis Hinkle of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida from 1996 to 1997. He served as an Assistant Public Defender for Florida's Second Judicial Circuit from 1997 to 1999. He served in private practice from 1999 to 2009 specializing in civil litigation and criminal defense. From 2009 to 2012 he served as a Florida Circuit Judge in Tallahassee.[1][2]

Federal judicial service

On February 16, 2012, President Obama nominated Walker to serve as District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.[1] He replaced Judge Stephan P. Mickle who took senior status in 2011. His nomination was forwarded by the Senate Judiciary Committee to the full United States Senate on June 7, 2012.[3] The United State Senate voted to confirm Walker on December 6, 2012 in a 94-0 vote. He received his commission on December 7, 2012.[2] He became Chief Judge in June 2018.

Notable rulings

In February 2018, Walker ruled against Florida and ordered Governor Rick Scott to restore the voting rights of felons after their release from prison.[4] In September 2018, Walker decided another significant voting rights case, in which he granted a preliminary injunction against Florida's Secretary of State, directing him to ensure that Spanish speaking voters have access to ballots in the Spanish language for the November 2018 elections.[5] This decision, made on the basis of Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act, is especially critical, as Florida is grappling with a recent influx of Puerto Ricans fleeing the aftermath of 2017's Hurricane Maria.

References

  1. 1 2 "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the US District Court". 16 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Walker, Mark Eaton - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  3. ↑ http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/Materials112thCongress.cfm
  4. ↑ Bousquet, Steve. "Judge strikes down Florida's system for denying felons' voting rights".
  5. ↑ Romo, Vanessa. "Judge Orders Florida Officials To Provide Sample Ballots In Spanish".
Legal offices
Preceded by
Stephan P. Mickle		 Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
2012–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Margaret Catharine Rodgers		 Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
2018–present
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