--- title: "Alan O. Forst | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alan-o-forst" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Alan O. Forst Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal · Judge ## Profile - Court: Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal - State: Florida - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-09-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, 2013-present - Labor and Employment Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1997-1998 - Counsel to Administrator of Wage and Hour Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 1992 - Counsel to the Director, OFCCP, U.S. Department of Labor, 1989-1991 - Staff Attorney, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1986-1987 - Law Clerk, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1984 - Confidential Assistant to Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1982 ### Education - Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America — J.D. (1985) - Georgetown University School of Foreign Service — B.S. (1980) ### Additional information - Current term on the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal ends January 5, 2027. - Florida Bar Constitutional Judiciary Committee: member (2012–2018; 2024–present); chairman (2026–2027). - Florida Bar Council of Sections: officer (2023–2027); chairman (2025–2026). - Scheduled for the November 3, 2026 merit-retention ballot; the election outcome is not yet recorded. - Lawyer survey — The Florida Bar's 2020 merit-retention poll reported 78% support: 583 yes and 169 no responses (752 total). - Merit-retention election results: 75.1% retained in 2014 and 64.1% retained in 2020. - Appeared in Legal Talk Network’s “How Do Electronic Communications Affect Employment Law Issues?” discussion, July 15, 2015. - Lawyer survey — The Florida Bar's 2014 merit-retention poll reported 79% support among responding lawyers with considerable or limited knowledge of the judge. - Appointed by Governor Rick Scott March 7, 2013; oath April 8, 2013. - Commission date: 2013-03-07 - Chairman, Florida Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission (formerly Unemployment Appeals Commission), July 2001-2013. - Chair, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section, 2008-2009. - Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2001; reappointed by Bush in 2005 and Governor Charlie Crist in 2009. - President, Martin County Bar Association, 2007-2008. - Associate and Partner, Crary Buchanan, Stuart, Florida, 1998-2001 - Counsel to Vice Chair/Member, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 1993-1997 - Lecturer (Employment Law), Northern Virginia Law School, 1994 - Counsel to the Chairman, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1987-1989 - Editor, National Legal Center for the Public Interest, 1986 - Bar admission: Florida Bar, January 31, 1986 (Florida Bar No. 537251) - Special Assistant to the President, U.S. Legal Services Corporation, 1983 - Special Assistant to the Director, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1981 - Date of birth: 1958-12-13 - Faculty for judicial education programs (Advanced Judicial Studies, New Appellate Judge Program) - These are historical lawyer-survey results, not election results. - Birth place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### media and still photography Scope: statewide Electronic media and still-photography coverage is allowed in Florida public trial and appellate proceedings under Rule 2.450's equipment and conduct standards, always subject to the presiding judge's control of decorum, distractions, and fair administration. Evidence excerpt: Subject at all times to the authority of the presiding judge to: (i) control the conduct of proceedings before the court; (ii) ensure decorum and prevent distractions; and (iii) ensure the fair administration of justice in the pending cause, electronic media and still photography coverage of public judicial proceedings in the appellate and trial courts of this state shall be allowed [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://4dca.flcourts.gov/judges/judge-alan-o.-forst) - [Official roster](https://4dca.flcourts.gov/judges/judge-alan-o.-forst) - [Florida appellate courts official judge directories official judicial roster](https://4dca.flcourts.gov/judges/judge-alan-o.-forst) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6899/alan-orantes-forst/) - [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) - [Fourth District Court of Appeal Judges](https://4dca.flcourts.gov/judges) - [VOTE411 judicial biography](https://onyourballot.vote411.org/race-detail.do?id=71689572) - [Broward County Supervisor of Elections - Elected Officials](https://browardvotes.gov/candidates/elected-officials) - [The Record, Summer 2014: Judge Alan Forst profile](https://flabarappellate.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP-Summer-14.pdf) - [Alan Forst biography](https://fedsoc.org/bio/alan-forst-1) - [Judge Alan Forst: podcast appearance](https://legaltalknetwork.com/guests/judge-alan-forst/) - [Justice Muniz and 22 DCA judges to stand for merit retention](https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/justice-muniz-and-22-dca-judges-to-stand-for-merit-retention/) - [Poll shows support for appellate judges standing for retention](https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/poll-shows-support-for-appellate-judges-standing-for-retention/) - [2020 merit retention poll results](https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2020/09/TFBMR_Results_2020.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6899/alan-orantes-forst/) - [Judge Alan O. Forst](https://4dca.flcourts.gov/judges/Judge-Alan-O.-Forst) - [Hon. Alan Orantes Forst](https://fedsoc.org/bio/alan-forst-1) - [Alan O. Forst](https://ballotpedia.org/Alan_O._Forst) - [Florida Bar member profile: Alan Orantes Forst](https://www.floridabar.org/mybarprofile/537251) - [Fourth District Court of Appeal Judges](https://4dca.flcourts.gov/judges) - [VOTE411 judicial biography](https://onyourballot.vote411.org/race-detail.do?id=71689572) - [Broward County Supervisor of Elections - Elected Officials](https://browardvotes.gov/candidates/elected-officials) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alan-o-forst", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alan-o-forst", "name": "Alan O. Forst | KnowJudges", "description": "Alan O. Forst, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal. 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