[Judges](/kyj) / [Florida First District Court of Appeal](/kyj/court/fl/florida-first-district-court-of-appeal) / Joseph Lewis, Jr Joseph Lewis, Jr District Court of Appeal Judge · [Florida First District Court of Appeal](/kyj/court/fl/florida-first-district-court-of-appeal) Snapshot Analytics Biography Courtroom Rules Sources Joseph Lewis, Jr at a glance Current role District Court of Appeal Judge Court [Florida First District Court of Appeal](/kyj/court/fl/florida-first-district-court-of-appeal) Jurisdiction Florida · State Judicial service Active Biography Professional career Judge, [Florida First District Court of Appeal](/kyj/court/fl/florida-first-district-court-of-appeal) (2001–present). Chief judge, [Florida First District Court of Appeal](/kyj/court/fl/florida-first-district-court-of-appeal) (2013–2015). Assumed office: January 2, 2001 Bureau Chief, Employment Litigation/Civil Litigation Section, Florida Attorney General's Office (1995-2000). Senior Attorney, General Civil Litigation Section, Florida Attorney General's Office (1981-1995). Assistant Public Defender, Florida's Second Judicial Circuit (1978-1981). Judicial Research Aide, Florida Industrial Relations Commission (1977-1978). Appointed by: Governor Jeb Bush Education University of Montana · B.S., 1974 Florida State University · J.D., 1977 Additional background The KnowJudges profile corresponds to Judge Joseph Lewis Jr. of the [Florida First District Court of Appeal](/kyj/court/fl/florida-first-district-court-of-appeal) , born January 6, 1953 in Tallahassee, Florida, serving since 2001, former Chief Judge (2013–2015), and long‑time public lawyer and appellate jurist. Applied in 2002 to fill Justice Leander Shaw’s seat; not selected Notable distinction: Second African‑American judge to serve on the First District Court of Appeal He has also served on numerous Florida Bar committees and judicial administration groups Master Judge, First District Appellate American Inn of Court (2013–2015) Florida Bar Meritorious Public Service Award (2000) Multiple community service awards (1994–1997) Claude Pepper Outstanding Government Lawyer Award (1995) Personal record Born January 6, 1953 Applicable Court Rules & Procedures Rules last checked July 26, 2026 . Media And Still Photography 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. 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) Official procedures [Florida First District Court of Appeal](https://1dca.flcourts.gov/Judges) Sources Identity source checked July 26, 2026 . Biography sources checked October 12, 2026 . 01 Florida appellate courts official judge directories official judicial roster Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026 [View Florida appellate courts official judge directories official judicial roster ↗](https://1dca.flcourts.gov/judges/Judge-Joseph-Lewis-Jr) 02 CourtListener judicial biographical directory Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026 [View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6970/joseph-lewis/) 03 Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026 [View Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage ↗](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) [Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections) [Florida appellate judges facing merit retention elections](https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/florida-appellate-judges-facing-merit-retention-elections-2002/) [Merit Retention Biographies](https://www.floridabar.org/public/faircts/votes010/merit-retention-biographies/) [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/) [Florida First District Court of Appeal](https://1dca.flcourts.gov/Judges) Found an error? [Let us know](mailto:info@knowjudges.com?subject=Found%20an%20error%20on%20KnowJudges.com&body=We%20found%20an%20error%20on%20the%20page%20https%3A%2F%2Fknowjudges.com%2Fkyj%2Fjudge%2Fjoseph-lewis-jr.%0A%0APlease%20correct%20this%20with%3A%0A%0A%5Bdescribe%20the%20correction%5D%0A%0AHere%20is%20the%20source%20supporting%20our%20claim%3A%0A%0A%5Battach%20a%20link%20or%20PDF%5D) ## Biography ### Professional career - The KnowJudges profile corresponds to Judge Joseph Lewis Jr. of the Florida First District Court of Appeal, born January 6, 1953 in Tallahassee, Florida, serving since 2001, former Chief Judge (2013–2015), and long‐time public lawyer and appellate jurist - Judge, Florida First District Court of Appeal (2001–present) - Applied in 2002 to fill Justice Leander Shaw’s seat; not selected - Bureau Chief, Employment Litigation/Civil Litigation Section, Florida Attorney General's Office (1995-2000) - Senior Attorney, General Civil Litigation Section, Florida Attorney General's Office (1981-1995) - Assistant Public Defender, Florida's Second Judicial Circuit (1978-1981) - Notable distinction: Second African‐American judge to serve on the First District Court of Appeal ### Education - Florida State University — J.D. (1977) - University of Montana — B.S. (1974) ### Additional information - Master Judge, First District Appellate American Inn of Court (2013–2015) - Assumed office: January 2, 2001 - Florida Bar Meritorious Public Service Award (2000) - Multiple community service awards (1994–1997) - Claude Pepper Outstanding Government Lawyer Award (1995) - Judicial Research Aide, Florida Industrial Relations Commission (1977-1978). - Date of birth: 1953-01-06 - Appointed by: Governor Jeb Bush - He has also served on numerous Florida Bar committees and judicial administration groups ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-f9444c394a89ab9f4ffde994) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450). Collected 2026-07-26.