--- title: "Henry Lee Adams Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/henry-lee-adams-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Henry Lee Adams Jr. U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida - State: Florida - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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 ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: 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. Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: 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. Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377031) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377031) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377031) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/57/henry-lee-adams-jr/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/57/henry-lee-adams-jr/) - [Judge Henry Lee Adams Jr.](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377031) - [Wikidata: Henry Lee Adams, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5724786) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/henry-lee-adams-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/henry-lee-adams-jr", "name": "Henry Lee Adams Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "Henry Lee Adams Jr., U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. 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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](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — 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](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.