--- title: "Maxine Cheesman | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-28" --- # Maxine Cheesman Florida Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court · Circuit Civil Judge, Division AJ ## Profile - Court: Florida Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court - State: Florida - Role: Circuit Civil Judge, Division AJ - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-28 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Published biography and professional background Maxine Cheesman is a Circuit Judge of Florida’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit serving Palm Beach County. Her current assignment is Circuit Civil Division AJ at the Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse. The listed judicial assistant is Monique Harris and the court telephone number is 561-355-7552. Cheesman was elected in November 2018 and began service on January 8, 2019. Before joining the bench she practiced law privately and spent 25 years in a scientific career with the South Florida Water Management District. Her supplied education records list a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of the West Indies, an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Miami, and a J.D. from Nova Southeastern University. The packet identifies Cheesman as the first Jamaican-American woman elected to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit bench in 2018 and records a Palm Beach County Justice Association Jurist of Year award without supplying a year to add here. Division AJ returned its E-Calendar Call on May 6, 2026. The supplied instructions distinguish Uniform Motion Calendar and case-management-conference scheduling from special sets, require a joint special-set request with specified case and availability information, and address service of orders, hearing materials, ex parte communications, briefing, and discovery motions. - Court: Florida Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County - Current assignment: Circuit Civil Division AJ - Courthouse: Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse - Judicial assistant / phone: Monique Harris / 561-355-7552 - Judicial service: Elected November 2018; began January 8, 2019 - Education: University of the West Indies; University of Miami; Nova Southeastern University - Prior career: Private legal practice and 25 years with the South Florida Water Management District ## Selected source-linked appellate decision involving Judge Cheesman This is a selected official appellate record, not a complete list of matters involving Judge Cheesman. ### Scudder v. Scudder, 296 So. 3d 426 (Fla. 4th DCA 2020) The Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed some portions of the order and reversed and remanded others, addressing parenting-plan statutory requirements, travel expenses, communication arrangements, and a scrivener’s error. ## 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 ### courtroom media equipment Scope: judge specific Judge Cheesman's division requires court media-equipment requests through Court Technology at least five days before trial. Evidence excerpt: Any requests for media equipment from the Court, please complete the Courtroom Media Request form and submit it to Court Technology at least 5 days prior to trial. [Maxine Cheesman, Division AJ Instructions](https://www.15thcircuit.com/division/aj/instructions) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### 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://www.15thcircuit.com/judges) - [Official roster](https://www.15thcircuit.com/judges) - [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) - [Maxine Cheesman, Division AJ Instructions](https://www.15thcircuit.com/division/aj/instructions) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit — Judge Maxine Cheesman](https://www.15thcircuit.com/judges/maxine-cheesman) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit judicial information](https://www.15thcircuit.com/node/16) - [Division AJ instructions](https://www1.15thcircuit.com/division/aj/instructions) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit judges](https://www.15thcircuit.com/judges) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit divisions](https://www1.15thcircuit.com/divisions) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit newsletter, January–March 2019](https://www.15thcircuit.com/sites/default/files/newsletter/2019-January-March.pdf) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit court history — firsts](https://www.15thcircuit.com/court-history/first) - [Fifteenth Judicial Circuit — Maxine Cheesman announcement](https://www.15thcircuit.com/announcements/cheesman-2) - [Scudder v. Scudder, Fourth District Court of Appeal](https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/634980/opinion/Opinion_19-2288.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman", "name": "Maxine Cheesman | KnowJudges", "description": "Maxine Cheesman, Florida Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-07-28", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman#judge", "name": "Maxine Cheesman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman", "jobTitle": "Circuit Civil Judge, Division AJ", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Florida Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.15thcircuit.com/judges" ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Florida", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/florida" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Maxine Cheesman", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maxine-cheesman" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - In 2018, Judge Cheesman was elected to the Circuit Court bench in Palm Beach County, becoming the first African-American and Jamaican woman to achieve this without prior appointment - Her legal practice spanned employment, immigration, social security, real property, housing, bankruptcy, business, probate, and contract law ### Education - She completed her primary and secondary education in Jamaica, earning a B.Sc. in Chemistry with first-class honors from the University of the West Indies. ### Additional information - She earned her law degree cum laude from Nova Southeastern Law School in 2004 and was admitted to practice in federal courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida - In 1979, she migrated to Miami, Florida, where she initially worked in a private laboratory before pursuing a legal career - Before her election to the bench, Judge Cheesman established the Law Offices of Cheesman & Varner, P.A., practicing in state, federal, and administrative courts. - She initially served in the family/probate division and currently presides over Circuit Civil cases in Division AJ. - Her election marked a historic milestone in the county’s judiciary - Judge Maxine Cheesman was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, in a family that valued education and achievement. - She emphasized equal access to justice and received multiple awards for pro bono service, including the “Justice for All” award from the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County Judge Cheesman also contributed to environmental and water quality projects, serving as a hydrogeniologist III and leading multi-agency teams for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program. ## 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.