Henry Lee Adams Jr. at a glance
- Current role
- Senior U.S. District Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Florida · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Henry Lee Adams Jr.
Senior U.S. District Judge · U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida · U.S. District Judge · Senior · November 24, 1993–present · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Appointment method
- Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
- Appointing authority
- William J. Clinton
- Source authority
- Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory
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Biography
Professional career
- Judge, District Court, M.D. Florida, 1993-2010
- On October 29, 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Adams to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, filling the seat vacated by Judge Susan H. Black
- Judge, Circuit Court of Florida, Fourth Judicial Circuit, 1979-1993
- He then entered private practice in Jacksonville, first with Sheppard, Fletcher, Hand & Adams and later with Marshall and Adams starting in 1976 In October 1979, Governor Bob Graham appointed him as a judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, a position he held until 1993
- Adams began his legal career as an assistant public defender for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, serving Duval, Clay, and Nassau counties from 1970 to 1972
- Assistant public defender, Fourth Judicial Circuit, FL, 1970-1972
- As a senior judge, Adams continues to serve the court but is not currently accepting applications for law clerks
- Henry Lee Adams Jr. has had a distinguished career spanning public defense, private practice, state judiciary, and federal service
Education
- Howard University School of Law in — J.D. (1969)
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University — B.S. (1966)
- Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Florida A&M University in 1966.
Additional information
- Judge Adams assumed senior status on April 8, 2010
- received his commission on November 24, 1993.
- Private practice, Jacksonville, FL, 1972-1979
- Private practice, Jacksonville, Florida, 1972-1979
- Reginald Heber Smith fellow, Duval County Legal Aid Association, FL, 1969-1970
- Reginald Heber Smith Fellow, Duval County Legal Aid Association, Florida, 1969-1970
- During this period, he was awarded the Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship and completed a Consumer Rights and Poverty Law training program at Haverford College, which led to his initial assignment at the Duval County Legal Aid Association from 1969 to 1970
- He graduated from Matthew Gilbert High School in 1962
- Henry Lee Adams Jr. was born on April 8, 1945, in Jacksonville, Florida.
- Date of birth: 1945-01-01
- His appointment as a federal judge marked a significant milestone, and he continues to contribute to the judiciary in a senior capacity, reflecting decades of legal experience and public service
- Birth place: Jacksonville, FL
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Courtwide
In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.
For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗
Recording and broadcasting
Courtwide
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Sources
Identity source checked July 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 3, 2026.
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory · effective November 24, 1993 · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Federal Judicial Center biography ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗