Elizabeth A. Kovachevich
Elizabeth Anne Kovachevich (born December 14, 1936)[1] is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Elizabeth Anne Kovachevich | |
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Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | |
Assumed office December 14, 2018 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | |
In office 1996–2002 | |
Preceded by | John H. Moore II |
Succeeded by | Patricia C. Fawsett |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | |
In office March 9, 1982 – December 14, 2018 | |
Appointed by | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | George C. Young |
Succeeded by | John L. Badalamenti |
Judge for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida | |
In office 1973–1982 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Elizabeth Anne Kovachevich December 14, 1936 Canton, Illinois |
Education | St. Petersburg College (A.A.) University of Miami (B.B.A.) Stetson University College of Law (J.D.) |
Education and career
Born in Canton, Illinois, Kovachevich earned an Associate of Arts degree from St. Petersburg Junior College (now St. Petersburg College) in 1956 and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami in 1958. She then earned a Juris Doctor in 1961 from Stetson University College of Law. Kovachevich worked in private law practice in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1961 until 1973, when she was elected a judge of the State of Florida's Sixth Judicial Circuit. Kovachevich was the first female judge on the Sixth Judicial Circuit, and she served as a state judge in Florida until 1982.[2]
Federal judicial service
Failed nomination under Ford
On June 8, 1976, President Gerald Ford nominated Kovachevich to a seat on a federal district court, according to an October 12, 1976 memo to Ford by his personnel director, Douglas Bennett. The United States Senate never acted on Kovachevich's nomination before Ford's presidency ended. Her nomination was blocked through a custom known as senatorial courtesy because the Democratic Party controlled the Senate, and Florida's Senators, Lawton Chiles and Richard Stone, Democrats, opposed her confirmation. Ford's successor, President Jimmy Carter, elected not to renominate Kovachevich.
Renomination under Reagan
Kovachevich was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on January 26, 1982, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida vacated by Judge George C. Young. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 4, 1982, and received commission on March 9, 1982. She served as Chief Judge from 1996 to 2002.[2] Kovachevich is based in Tampa, Florida.[3] She assumed senior status on December 14, 2018, her 82nd birthday.
References
- "BIOGRAPHIES OF FEDERAL COURT JUDGES SITTING IN FLORIDA" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- "Kovachevich, Elizabeth Anne - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- Wade-Bahr, Linda H. "Official Site of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida". www.flmd.uscourts.gov.
External links
- Elizabeth Anne Kovachevich at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Legal offices | ||
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Preceded by George C. Young |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida 1982–2018 |
Succeeded by John L. Badalamenti |
Preceded by John H. Moore II |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida 1996–2002 |
Succeeded by Patricia C. Fawsett |