--- title: "Nelly Khouzam | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nelly-khouzam" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Nelly Khouzam Florida Second District Court of Appeal · District Court of Appeal Judge ## Profile - Court: Florida Second District Court of Appeal - State: Florida - Role: District Court of Appeal Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge Nelly N. Khouzam is a nonpartisan judge of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal, appointed in 2008 and re‐elected in 2022, with a career spanning appellate service, circuit court leadership, and legal scholarship - Elected Chief Judge from July 2019 to June 2021 Second District Court of Appeal - Judge, District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2008-2011 - Private practice at Fowler, White, Gillen, Boggs, Villareal & Banker, P.A. and later Silberman & Khouzam, P.A ### Education - University of Florida College of Law in — J.D. (1981) - University of Florida — B.A. ### Additional information - Second District Court of Appeal since August 1, 2008, appointed by then‐Governor Charlie Crist. - James C. Adkins Award (2026, shared with Judge Morris Silberman) for decades of service to Florida’s appellate courts and the appellate bar - In 2026, she was honored alongside Judge Morris Silberman with the James C. Adkins Award from The Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section for “decades of service to Florida’s appellate courts, the appellate bar, and the legal profession” - She was retained by voters in 2010, 2016, and 2022, with a 68% “yes” vote in the 2022 retention election - Practitioner, 2007-2007 - handling medical malpractice, civil litigation, and appellate cases - Before joining the Second District Court of Appeal, Khouzam served 14 years as a circuit court judge in Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit (Pinellas and Pasco counties), with assignments in civil, family, and criminal divisions, and as administrative judge of the civil division - She has also held the role of past chair of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges Second District Court of Appeal ## 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://2dca.flcourts.gov/Judges/Judge-Nelly-Khouzam) - [Official roster](https://2dca.flcourts.gov/Judges/Judge-Nelly-Khouzam) - [Florida appellate courts official judge directories official judicial roster](https://2dca.flcourts.gov/Judges/Judge-Nelly-Khouzam) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6950/nelly-khouzam/) - [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6950/nelly-khouzam/) - [Official biography source for Nelly Khouzam](https://2dca.flcourts.gov/Judges/Judge-Nelly-Khouzam) - [Nelly Khouzam - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Nelly_Khouzam) - [Khouzam named chief judge – The Florida Bar](https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/khouzam-named-chief-judge) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nelly-khouzam", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nelly-khouzam", "name": "Nelly Khouzam | KnowJudges", "description": "Nelly Khouzam, Florida Second District Court of Appeal. 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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.