Justice Alan Lawson Announces His Retirement from the Florida Supreme Court

TALLAHASSEE – Earlier today Justice Alan Lawson announced his upcoming retirement and notified the Governor of the vacancy it will create on the Florida Supreme Court when it is effective, on August 31, 2022. 

Lawson’s retirement comes at the conclusion of a 21-year judicial career, and six years as a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.  Prior to his tenure on the Supreme Court, Lawson served eleven years on the Fifth District Court of Appeal, including a term as Chief Judge, and, four years as a circuit judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orange and Osceola counties.  

“One of the greatest joys of my 35-year legal career has been and continues to be the ability to work alongside a bench and bar filled with extraordinary individuals who work tirelessly to assure that the citizens we serve are well-served by our system of justice.” Lawson wrote in a letter announcing his retirement to Governor Ron DeSantis.  “That system is often criticized yet still endures as the best system of justice that the world has ever seen.” 

Throughout his career he served Florida’s judicial branch and the law with his time and talents.  As a judge and justice he served on a variety of committees and commissions of the Supreme Court and The Florida Bar, including as chair of the District Court of Appeal Budget Commission and as a member of the Florida Courts Technology Commission for nine years.  Early in Lawson’s career he was a test writer and grader for The Florida Board of Bar Examiners, and he has served as the Supreme Court’s liaison to that group as a Justice.

Justice Lawson has been active in the communities where he has lived and has taken an active part in efforts to improve the lives of impoverished populations in Central America, particularly in Honduras, as a volunteer with Surgical and Medical Assistance Relief Teams, Hope for Honduras, and Mi Esperanza, among many others he helped alongside his wife Julie.
“Julie and I plan to enjoy retirement, prioritizing family, health and fitness, spiritual growth and development, friends, the outdoor sports that we enjoy, and charitable work in the United States and abroad,” Lawson said. 

Charitable work is not a new focus.  At the 2017 investiture of Lawson as the 86th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, then Chief Justice Jorge Labarga noted Justice Lawson’s devotion to making a difference in the lives of others.  Lawson “and his wife have used their time to reach out and give service through sacrifice for others – and not merely through public service.  They even gave it in a place as far away as the slums of Honduras in Latin America,” Labarga said then.

Justice Lawson expressed his thanks to the thousands he has worked with as a lawyer, judge, and justice.

“I feel grateful beyond my ability to adequately express that gratitude for all the ways my life has been enriched through service as a lawyer, judge and justice during my 35-year career,” Lawson said, adding:   

“First, I thank God, the giver and sustainer of life and all its blessings.”  

“Second, I thank all those who made my career possible and rewarding: My amazing spouse and best friend, Julie; my loving and supportive parents, children,  in-laws, and immediate and extended family; the lawyers, judges, court staff, clerks of court, and security personnel who keep us safe.  In my experience working with the thousands of individuals who sacrifice and do their best every day to strive toward our ideal of freedom and justice for all, I rate the job that we do as extraordinary even as we strive to improve.”  

“The highest honor I have enjoyed in my career is my service on the Florida Supreme Court.  I once again express my gratitude to Rick Scott for the trust he placed in me by granting me this opportunity.  I also want to thank each Justice who I have had the privilege of serving alongside:  I value and respect each of you.  To those who I serve with now, I can only say that leaving you, this great institution and our court family is the most emotionally difficult decision of my life, although I know that this is the right decision and the right time.”  

Read Justice Lawson’s letter to Governor DeSantis