While Trump has narrowed his search to five potential nominees to fill the empty seat left behind by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, he will not be announcing his final pick until the end of the week.
One of those rumored to be Trump’s pick for the position is Judge Barbara Lagoa of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Lagoa previously served on Florida’s 3rd U.S. District Court of Appeals as well as the Florida Supreme Court. The landslide approval by the Senate confirmed Lagoa to the 11th Circuit with a vote of 80-15 last November.
The American Bar Association gave Lagoa an undivided rating of “Well Qualified” before her 11th Circuit confirmation, which is the highest rating you can receive.
Lagoa was also involved in the 11th Circuit’s 6-4 decision to uphold a Florida law that requires ex-felons to pay all outstanding fines, fees, and any other costs before they can be permitted to vote. Democrats of course complained that she was possibly violating the Code of Conduct for United States Judges for not disqualifying herself from the matter, as she had already given an advisory opinion and took part in oral arguments in the case at the state level while serving on Florida’s Supreme Court.
The official website for Florida’s Supreme Court says Lagoa is a graduate of Columbia Law School and was the first Latina to ever be appointed to that court when she was chosen by Governor Ron DeSantis in January 2019. She had previously served on the state’s 3rd District appeals court since her appointment by Governor at the time Jeb Bush in 2006.
Before deciding to become a judge, Lagoa served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and practiced civil litigation for the international law firm Greenberg Tranurig.
Aside from her professional life the 52-year-old is married to lawyer Paul C. Huck Jr. and they have three daughters.
