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| FAMU College of Law Dean LeRoy Pernell (left) with second-year law student Elizabeth Dorworth. Dorworth was recently appointed to the Judicial Nomination Commission for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit by Florida Governor Charlie Crist. |
ORLANDO, Fla. – Elizabeth Dorworth, a second-year law student at the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law, was appointed by Florida Governor Charlie Crist to the Judicial Nomination Commission for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. The Eighteenth Judicial Circuit is composed of Brevard and Seminole Counties.
“I am honored by Governor Crist’s decision to appoint me to the nominating commission for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit,” said Dorworth, who once was appointed to the Early Learning Coalition of Seminole County in 2005 by then Governor Jeb Bush. She served a two-year term in that role.
According to Dorworth, the responsibilities of the Commission will be to evaluate judicial candidates and recommend no more than six nominees to the governor of Florida for appointment to the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit – a requirement under Article V of the Florida Constitution. Dorworth, co-owner of Dorworth Property Group LLC, is succeeding Brooke Goldfarb and has been appointed for a term that will end July 1, 2012. Crist appointed four additional members to the Commission.
“Selecting replacements for members of the judiciary is one of the greatest responsibilities a governor has,” said Dorworth. “I am humbled that he feels I would recommend honorable, qualified men and women when circumstances create vacancies in the circuit.”
The Commission is composed of nine persons appointed by the governor. Four members are lawyers appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the Florida Bar. Of the remaining five members, at least two must be lawyers. Dorworth is one of three non-lawyer members who must be residents of the jurisdiction the commission serves.
“This is a fantastic accomplishment for Mrs. Dorworth,” said FAMU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell. “This selection is yet another example of the academic and legal expertise that we are developing here at the FAMU College of Law.
In making the appointments, the governor is to ensure that, to the extent possible, the membership of each commission reflects the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity and geographic distribution of the relevant jurisdiction.
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