Volume 1: January - March 2025

Featured Stories

Chief Judge Kelley Re-Elected As Chief Judge

At the February 19, 2025 Full Court meeting, the judges of the Circuit elected Chief Judge Kelley to serve a third term as Chief Judge. His third term will run from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.

Prior to his initial term as Chief Judge, which began on July 1, 2021, Judge Kelley served on the Circuit Civil and Circuit Criminal bench. He also served as the Administrative Judge of the Circuit Civil division and the Circuit Criminal Division. In addition to his Chief Judge duties, in 2019 he was appointed by Chief Justice Muñiz to serve on the Trial Court Budget Commission (TCBC).

In 2023, Judge Kelley was asked by the Chief Justice to serve on the State Courts Legislative Delegation representing the TCBC and the state courts before the Legislature. He still serves in that role. In the summer of 2024, Chief Justice Muñiz appointed him to serve as the Vice-Chair of the TCBC. He also serves on the TCBC Executive Committee and was appointed by the Chief Justice to serve on the Funding Methodology Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Statewide FTE Resource Management Committee, the Judicial Management Council Workgroup on Court Technology Strategies, and the Judicial Assessment Committee.

Chief Judge Kelley was appointed to the Circuit bench in 2006 by then Governor Jeb Bush for a term beginning in January 2007. Prior to taking the bench, he practiced civil law in the private sector with Gunster, Yoakley, Criser and Stewart, P.A.; Broome, Kelley, Aldrich and Warren, P.A.; and Kelley and Warren, P.A. He received his Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida.

The Chief’s goals over the next two years include improving technology in the courtrooms, the buildout of the 7th and 8th floors of the Main Courthouse, planning the expansion of courtroom space in North County, and securing additional resources for the Circuit.

Lourdes Casanova Elected to County Court Bench

The Hon. Lourdes Casanova was elected to the County bench on November 5, 2024. She began her term as County Court Judge in January 2025, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Ted Booras. Notably, she is the Circuit’s first Hispanic female judge elected to the bench.

Judge Casanova previously served as an Assistant State Attorney in Palm Beach County. Immediately prior to taking the bench, she operated her own law firm. In 2023, she served as President of the Palm Beach County Hispanic Bar Association. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida.

Chief Judge Kelley Administers Oath to Palm Beach County’s New State Attorney

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Highlighting the Judiciary

Congratulations to Our Judges & Magistrates

Judge Samantha Schosberg Feuer

In a ceremony held on January 16 at the Florida Supreme Court, the Honorable Samantha Schosberg Feuer was presented with the 2025 Distinguished Judicial Service Award by Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos G. Muniz. The award honors outstanding and sustained service to the public especially as it relates to support of pro bono legal services.

Judge Feuer was instrumental in revitalizing the 15th Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Committee, where she served as chair from 2016 to 2024. Her efforts as chair were crucial in developing the Pro Bono Awards Ceremony and Ice Cream Social Subcommittee, a group tasked with honoring local pro bono attorneys.

She currently presides over Probate cases in the IA division.

Judge Daliah Weiss

Judge Lisa Small

On February 19, the Honorable Lisa Small received the Jurist of the Year award from the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers during their 41st Annual Justice Barbara Pariente Judicial Reception. The 2025 Distinguished Jurist Award recognizes an active Federal or State judge or magistrate who has an exceptional reputation for competency, efficiency, professionalism, and integrity and has demonstrated commitment to FAWL’s mission of promoting gender equality and the advancement of women. Judge Small began her career as a Circuit Judge in January of 2011 and currently presides over Juvenile cases in Divisions JA and JM.

Magistrate Janie Lowe Crittenden

Magistrate Janie Lowe Crittenden had the honor of being sworn into the United States Supreme Court on February 24, 2025, alongside 9 other members and guests of the Sheree Davis Cunningham Black Women Lawyers Association. She was accompanied by several family members, including her daughter and 99-year-old grandmother, Janie Lowe.

Chief Judge Glenn Kelley

During the 2025 Bench Bar Conference held on March 7, the Honorable Glenn Kelley was presented with the Hon. Meenu Sasser Mentoring Award. The award was established to promote mentoring and to recognize a Palm Beach County Bar member or Judge who has demonstrated or promoted mentoring in Palm Beach County.

Judge Maxine Cheesman

Judicial Community Engagement & Outreach

Criminal Justice Commission Citizen's Training Academy

Judges Kathleen Kroll, Daliah Weiss, Bradley Harper and April Bristow participated in Palm Beach County’ s Criminal Justice Commission Citizen's Training Academy in January. The program offers residents one-on-one public engagement with local, state, and federal law enforcement professionals with lectures and demonstrations.

Ethical Governance Day at Joaquin Garcia High School

On February 7, Judges Samantha Schosberg Feuer and Bradley Harper spoke to over 80 students at Joaquin Garcia High School as a part of Ethical Governance Day event hosted by the School District of Palm Beach County. The students were able to hear more about the judicial system as well as the judges’ career paths

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Around the Circuit - Highlighting the Judiciary

Judicial Community Engagement & Outreach

Path to College Program Students Visit Main Courthouse

On February 24, students from the Path to College program visited the main courthouse during their Civic Engagement Day. During their visit, they met with the Honorable Bradley Harper who spoke to them about the judicial system.

Bak Middle School of the Arts Career Day

Judge Bradley Harper participated in Career Day at Bak Middle School of the Arts held on March 5.

Civil Discourse Event

Judges Samantha Schosberg Feuer, Joseph Curley, Reid Scott II and Gregory Keyser participated in the Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions program with All Saints Catholic School at the Main Courthouse on March 11. The program is for middle and high school students and teaches various life lessons including how to have a contested discussion in a civil manner, while also listening and respecting differing points of view.

Junior Achievement Career Day

The Honorable Samantha Schosberg Feuer spoke to a group of 5th grade students with Junior Achievement during their Career Day event on March 14. The students were able to hear firsthand about Judge Feuer’s role as a judge, gaining insight on the judicial system. Both engaged and inquisitive, the students were quite inspired, with many students sharing that they too, would like to become judges in the future.

Inlet Grove High School Visits Main Courthouse

Students from the Inlet Grove High School Pre-Law Debate class visited the main courthouse on March 17. The students were able to visit the courtrooms of Judge Maxine Cheesman, Senior Judge Richard Oftedal and Judge Cymonie Rowe, as well as the 4th floor county court and the jury assembly room. Their day also included lunch with several Assistant State Attorneys and Assistant Public Defenders. It was a great day for the future leaders to learn more about the judiciary.

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Events

Bench Bar Conference Recap

The 2025 Bench Bar Conference took place March 7 at the Palm Beach Convention Center. This annual event is the opportunity for attorneys to attend presentations by the bench on such topics and divisional procedures, updates to rules, and information relative to practicing in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. Court technology staff were on hand to demonstrate the latest equipment for courtroom evidence presentations and to demonstrate the ease of online scheduling. Annually, the Chief Judge of the Circuit is asked to present during lunch on the State of the Courts. This year, Chief Judge Kelley spoke of two retirements (Judge Panse and Judge Booras), the appointment of Judge Mullinax, and the election of Judge Casanova. He also introduced the most recently hired Magistrate, Janie Crittenden, and a new General Counsel, Kelly Rowley.

The Chief Judge briefly discussed the need for additional judges in the Circuit. The Supreme Court workload study showed that the Circuit has a judicial need of nine additional judges. The Supreme Court certified two Circuit judgeships and two County judgeships as a request to the Legislature to fund. To date, that matter has not yet been resolved by the Legislature.

The Chief spent the majority of his presentation touting the high performance of the bench. In every division of the Court, the clearance rate of cases exceeds 100%. That is, more cases are being disposed of by judicial action than are being filed. The disposed cases include new filings, pending cases, and reopened cases.

At the end of his presentation, the Chief noted the numerous ways that the sitting judges give back to the community. Many of our judges are very involved in educational events in the local community, provide support to student mock trials, and welcome student classes to observe court and hold discussions with the judges on the role of the third branch of government. The Chief Judge closed by thanking the attorneys for their professionalism and support of the judiciary.

Pro Bono Award Ceremony and Ice Cream Social

The 15th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee held their annual Award Ceremony and Ice Cream Social on March 12, honoring the local attorneys that go above and beyond in providing pro bono legal service to those in our community through the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.

Speakers during the event included Judge Lisa Small, who took over as the Pro Bono Committee Chair from Judge Schosberg-Feuer, as well as Chief Judge Glenn Kelley and Florida Bar President Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr.

During Judge Small’s remarks, she highlighted the work of the attorneys over the years. For the 2024 calendar year, local attorneys provided 4,310 pro bono hours. Since the inception of the award ceremony five years ago, more than 16,000 hours of pro bono work has been provided to the local community.

Their efforts cover a wide range of civil legal matters such as negotiating contract disputes and collection matters, defending against foreclosure, assisting with bankruptcy, petitioning for name change, preparing estate planning documents, assisting with deeds, and representing clients in various family law matters such as adoption, representing survivors of domestic violence, to simplified dissolution of marriage and highly contested custody matters.

After acknowledging the ceremony’s special honorees and attorneys, the ice cream social began.

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News from Court Administration Staff

2025 Statewide Domestic Violence Case Managers & Coordinators Training

On January 29-30, the 15th Judicial Circuit representatives, Tara Kranz and Rossiland Johnson-West, attended the 2025 Statewide DV Case Managers’ and DV Coordinators’ Training in Tallahassee facilitated and hosted by the Office of State Courts. Tara Kranz presented a session on “Best Practices for Identifying Related Cases in Unified Family Courts” with a cameo from Pink Panther, the UFC special detective.

2025 Florida Court Personnel Institute

In February, several members of our Court Administration staff attended the Florida Court Personnel Institute held in Orlando, Florida. The conference is an annual event that brings together Court Administration professionals from across the state of Florida for professional development, promoting ethical standards, networking and educational sessions. FCP Institute Program generates an excellent opportunity to engage with colleagues and gain valuable insights that will support both your personal growth and the court operations. Chief of Personnel Services, William Hutchings, Jr. also attended, lending his time and expertise as a conference presenter.

Court Reporting and Captioning Week

This year, February 1-8 was declared Court Reporting and Captioning Week. During this week, the Circuit acknowledged the work of the highly-skilled individuals in the Circuit whose work is pivotal in ensuring justice is fair and accessible. Established in 1991, our Court Reporting Department is tasked with recording court proceedings by stenography or electronic digital recordings both in and out of the courtroom.

President’s Day Events

On February 17, the Circuit hosted several events and training opportunities for Court Administration staff. The day started off with a continental breakfast followed by a thorough Civics presentation by Magistrate Diane Kirigin, which provided a muchneeded refresher on the three branches of government, their functions and how they all work together.

After lunch, employees were able to attend events and training classes of their choice, which included a Zen Room, Excel courses, Meditative Coloring, JVS/OLS courses and a Quest for Knowledge scavenger hunt.

Caring Canines Juvenile Event

On Sunday, March 7th, Juvenile Court staff and the Caring Canines program volunteers participated in the 8th Annual StoryBook Village Event. This event signifies a celebration of collective efforts to come together to support every abused, abandoned, and neglected child in Palm Beach County.

Nestled within the beautiful gardens of Mounts Botanical, this year’s StoryBook Village was themed “Be the Hero of the Story”—and was a day filled with storybook adventures, hands-on activities, and exciting surprises.

With over thirty interactive StoryBook booths, children were able to explore different tales, and crafts and engage in creative experiences by foster agencies, literacy organizations, and other community partners. The Caring Canines were there to offer extra love and cuddles.

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Main Courthouse Tours

Boca Prep International School

On January 23, students from Boca Prep International School paid a visit to the courtrooms of Judges Reid Scott, Santo DiGangi and Cymonie Rowe. The students were also able to enjoy a K9 demonstration with K-9 Goku.

Palm Beach State College (PBSC)Criminal Justice Institute

On February 27, members of the PBSC Criminal Justice Institute paid a visit to the main courthouse.

Garden School of Technology

On February 28, students from the Garden School of Technology paid a visit to the main courthouse.

AIR Academy

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

On March 20, members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute paid a visit to the main courthouse and even had a chance to meet K-9 Rubi.

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Staff Events

Lunch & Learns

1-13-25: New Year’s Resolution

Workshop, presented by Justin Forest and William Hutchings

2-24-25: Black History Month Trivia,

Presented by the 15th Judicial Circuit

Human Resources Department

3-24-25: Book Exchange Lunch & Learn

Several JAs and Court Administration staff attended February’s Lunch & Learn: Black History Month Trivia on February 24. The fierce, but friendly competition included five rounds of questions that quizzed attendees on notable African-American figures in politics, sports, science and the arts. The winners of each round got to claim a decorative jar of candy as their prize.

New Employee Orientation

Congratulations on Retirement

New Hires | Employees On the Move

Welcome to the Circuit's newest Judge and employees:

January 2025

Myieshia Johnson, Human Resources Assistant;
Marcus Perry, Juvenile Court Case Manager;
Lourdes Casanova, County Court Judge;
Kayleigh O’Connell, JA to Judge Lourdes Casanova;
Amber Morris, Administrative Assistant III;
Charisma McCutcheon, Student Technologist;
Charles Burgess, Assistant to Magistrate James B. Williams, Jr.

Feburary 2025

Alexandra Simeone, Trial Court Staff Attorney;
Travon Mondelus, Computer Specialist II

March 2025

Glenn Milgraum, Mediator;
Benjamin Aubrey, Floating JA;
Sharelle McCoy, Software Training Specialist

Employees on the Move/Position Reclassified

February 2025

Joel Figueras, Program Coordinator

March 2025

Tehera Smith, Senior Court Operations Consultant

Congratulations to these Judges and Employees on their Retirement

January 2025

Theodore Booras, County Court Judge;
Kelly Henderson, Mediator;
Roody Barthelemy, Haitian Creole Interpreter

February 2025

Lourdes Castillo, Mediator

March 2025

Michelle Voce, Certified Court Reporter

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Administrative Orders

The following AOs were updated or entered January - March 2025 (most recent to oldest)

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Credits

The Circuit Courier is published by the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit
Glenn Kelley, Chief Judge
Barbara Dawicke, Trial Court Administrator
Richalyn Miller, Public Information Officer