DeSantis appoints Haitian-American woman to Eleventh Judicial Circuit

Miami-Dade County Judge Lody Jean (Miami-Dade County Judge Lody Jean)

MIAMI – Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Miami-Dade County Judge Lody Jean to replace Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge John Schlesinger, who resigned earlier this year.

Former Gov. Rick Scott appointed Jean, a former Assistant State Attorney and Felony Division Chief in Miami-Dade County, to the Miami-Dade County Court in 2018. She was the first Haitian-American woman to be appointed on the Miami-Dade County Court and is the first Haitian American to be appointed to the Eleventh Circuit Court.

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Jean, who was born in Haiti to Lebanese parents, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and her law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law. She has also served in the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, Miami Children’s Corporation and is the Immediate Past President of the Haitian Lawyers Association.


About the Author

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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