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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Prior to joining the federal bench, Judge Barber served as a Circuit Judge in the criminal division of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, where he has served since his appointment by the Governor in 2008. As a Circuit Judge he has handled the full range of civil and criminal cases. He previously served for four years as a Hillsborough County Court Judge. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Barber practiced for five years in the trial and business litigation department of Carlton Fields, P.A. He then served as an Assistant Statewide Prosecutor in the Office of Statewide Prosecution and as an Assistant State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Upon completion of his service as a prosecutor he returned to Carlton Fields, P.A., where his practice focused on business litigation until his appointment to the bench.
Judge Barber earned his B.A. from the University of Florida, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Justice Carlos G. Muñiz was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 22, 2019, becoming the 89th Justice since statehood was granted in 1845. Previously, he served as general counsel for the United States Department of Education, where he led the Office of the General Counsel and provided legal and policy advice to the United States Secretary of Education and to other senior department officials.
Justice Muñiz has wide-ranging legal and policy experience from his years as an attorney and consultant in private practice. He served for three years as the deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. In that capacity he was responsible for managing a 400-lawyer staff and overseeing duties that included enforcement and litigation, legislative affairs, and communications.
During this time, Justice Muñiz worked with state attorneys general throughout the country and developed substantial experience in multistate enforcement actions, consumer protection issues, government investigations, and disputes between the states and the federal government.
In addition to his service in the Attorney General’s Office, Justice Muñiz held positions of responsibility throughout Florida state government. He served as deputy general counsel in the Office of Governor Jeb Bush, as a deputy chief of staff and counsel in the Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and as general counsel of the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Justice Muñiz is a graduate of the University of Virginia and of Yale Law School. Upon receipt of his law degree, he clerked for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Judge Thomas A. Flannery of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Judge, Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
The Honorable Joseph Tompkins is a Circuit Court Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Tampa, Florida. Judge Tompkins was appointed and elevated to this position by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2023 after serving two years as a Hillsborough County Court Judge. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Tompkins served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Middle District of Florida for three years. There, Judge Tompkins successfully prosecuted civil rights violations and defended the United States’ interests in civil, criminal, and bankruptcy matters throughout all stages of litigation.
Upon graduation from law school, Judge Tompkins served as a law clerk to Judge Tom Barber in the Circuit Civil and Felony Divisions for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Judge Douglas Wallace of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal, and Judge Nelly Khouzam of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal. Judge Tompkins earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Ave Maria School of Law, and his B.A., cum laude, from Ave Maria University, where he received the schools' highest awards for academic excellence, leadership, and community service and became a published author on the Free Exercise Clause. Judge Tompkins was a John Witherspoon Fellow at the John Jay Institute and a former Vice President of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federalist Society.
Judge Tompkins plays an active role in the Tampa Bay community, donating his time and talents to his church, various legal organizations, and inns of court. He resides in Tampa with his wife and six children.
