John Couriel
Non-Partisan | Florida
Candidate Profile*
Originalist
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
John Couriel
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
Supreme Court (retention)
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
Candidate did not provide
WORK & MILITARY
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AFFILIATIONS
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POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
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Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (1)
*Judge Voter Guide
OTHER (1)
*Winter Haven 9-12 Group
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (31)
Adam Putnam (2018)
Alex Andrade (2018)
Alex Mooney (2014)
Anitere Flores (2016)
Anthony Rodriguez (2018)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (39)
A Stronger Florida (2016)
Better Florida Education (2016)
Building On Your Dreams (2016)
Carlos Curbelo (2012)
Conservative Principles for Florida (2016)
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (4)
American Nurses Association (2016)
Ciro Rodriguez (2016)
Log Cabin Republicans (2016)
Walt Disney Company (2016)
OTHER INFORMATION
Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Justice Couriel to the Florida Supreme Court in 2020.
Justice Couriel stated, “Alexander Hamilton said, ‘courts have neither force nor will, but merely judgment,’ and I intend to exercise that judgment to the best of my ability. "
Notable Cases:
- Lawrence v. State (2020): Justice Couriel signed the per curiam majority opinion, which held that "the conformity clause of article I, section 17 of the Florida Constitution [forbid] [the] Court from analyzing death sentences for comparative proportionality in the absence of a statute establishing that review" (1-2). The court reasoned that the conformity clause requires that Florida’s prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishments be interpreted in line with the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Eighth Amendment (7). The Supreme Court held that proportionality review was not mandatory in Pulley v. Harris (1984) (7). As a result, the court overturned its precedent of Yacob v. State (2014), which had read a proportionality requirement into Florida law (8), arguing that the court cannot mandate review where there is no statutory requirement (11). Footnote 5 emphasized that the court's duty was to follow the constitution, rather than to create good policy (13). The court took into account whether stare decisis should lead it to uphold Yacob (12).
- In re: Amendment to Rule Regulation the Florida Bar 6-10.3 (2021): Justice Couriel signed the per curiam majority opinion, which held that a Florida Bar rule setting a minimum requirement for diverse continuing legal education faculty violated the precedent of Grutter v. Bolinger (2003) and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) by instituting a quota based on characteristics such as " race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and multiculturalism" (1). The court also amended rule 6-10.3(d) of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar to prohibit such requirements and ordered the Bar to take the measures necessary to ensure compliance with the amended rule (2-3). Court allowed 74 days for public comment on the updated rule (3)
Judge Voter Guide gave 4 Stars and voted to "retain".
QUESTIONNAIRE
VALUES
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
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I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
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Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
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Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
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Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
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Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
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What types of pro bono work have you done?
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What types of pro bono work have you done?
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ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
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Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
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What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
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What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
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Why should the voters choose you?
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Why should the voters choose you?
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I voted in these primaries and general elections:
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I voted in these primaries and general elections:
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JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
Justices should not interpret the federal and state constitutions as living documents, but should use a textualist and originalist approach to interpretation.
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Justices should not interpret the federal and state constitutions as living documents, but should use a textualist and originalist approach to interpretation.
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What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
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What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
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Which current or past U.S. Supreme Court justice best reflects your judicial philosophy?
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Which current or past U.S. Supreme Court justice best reflects your judicial philosophy?
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How should a court address the balance between public health and individual freedoms in the time of a pandemic?
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How should a court address the balance between public health and individual freedoms in the time of a pandemic?
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In light of the case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a prohibition on sexual-orientation discrimination, which justice’s opinion most closely aligns with your own opinion?
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In light of the case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a prohibition on sexual-orientation discrimination, which justice’s opinion most closely aligns with your own opinion?
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What role (if any) does a judge have in maintaining the separation of church and state?
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What role (if any) does a judge have in maintaining the separation of church and state?
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Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
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Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
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When should a judge overturn past court decisions?
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When should a judge overturn past court decisions?
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How should a judge determine which rights are protected by the Constitution even though they are not specifically mentioned?
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How should a judge determine which rights are protected by the Constitution even though they are not specifically mentioned?
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What legal principles should a court consider when evaluating parents’ objection to their child obtaining medical procedures or drugs designed to affirm the child’s desired gender?
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What legal principles should a court consider when evaluating parents’ objection to their child obtaining medical procedures or drugs designed to affirm the child’s desired gender?
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What principles should guide a court’s analysis of whether your state’s constitution gives terminally ill patients a right to assisted suicide?
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What principles should guide a court’s analysis of whether your state’s constitution gives terminally ill patients a right to assisted suicide?
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Would you describe your judicial philosophy as originalist, living constitutionalist, or something else?
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Would you describe your judicial philosophy as originalist, living constitutionalist, or something else?
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