Allen Winsor

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

Tenure

2019 - Present

Years in position

6

Prior offices:

Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

Years in office: 2016 - 2019

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

Auburn University, 1997

Law

University of Florida College of Law, 2002

Personal

Birthplace

Orlando, FL

Contact

Official website

Allen Cothrel Winsor is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. On April 10, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Winsor to a seat on this court. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Winsor on June 19, 2019, on a 54-44 vote.^[1][2] He received commission on June 21, 2019.^[3] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94U.S. district courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Winsor was a nonpartisan judge of theFlorida 1st District Court of Appeal from 2016 to 2019. He was appointed to the court in February 2016 by Gov.Rick Scott (R).^[4]

Judicial nominations, appointments, and elections

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida (2019-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On April 10, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Winsor to a seat on this court. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Winsor on June 19, 2019, on a 54-44 vote.^[1][2] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Allen Winsor
Court:United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Progress
Confirmed 435 days after nomination.
ANominated: April 10, 2018
AABA Rating:Substantial majority well qualified / Minority qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: May 23, 2018
QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: June 14, 2018 (first)/February 7, 2019 (second)
AConfirmed: June 19, 2019
AVote: 54-44

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Winsor on June 19, 2019, on a vote of 54-44.^[2] Sen.Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote in favor of Winsor's confirmation. To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Winsor confirmation vote (June 19, 2019)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	1	42	2
Republican	53	0	0
Independent	0	2	0
Total	54	44	2

Change in Senate rules

See also:

Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress

Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

United States federal courts

Winsor was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.

On April 3, 2019, theU.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees todistrict court judgeships from 30 hours after invokingcloture to two.^[5]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as thenuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.^[6]

It was the third use of thenuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to theSupreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.^[7] For more, seeFilibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Winsor's nomination on May 23, 2018. The nomination was reported out of committee by an 11-10 vote on June 14, 2018.^[8]

TheSenate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Winsor's nomination on February 7, 2019.^[9]Click here to see how the committee voted. Winsor's nomination was one of 44 that Sen.Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reported that day.

Nomination

On April 10, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Winsor to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Winsor was nominated to succeed JudgeRobert Hinkle, who assumedsenior status on November 7, 2016.^[1]

At thesine die adjournment of the115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Winsor's nomination to President Trump.^[10] Winsor was one of 51 individuals the president re-nominated on January 23, 2019.^[11]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated Winsorwell qualified by a substantial majority andqualified by a minority for the position.^[12] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Florida 1st District Court of Appeal (2016-2019)

See also:Judges appointed by Rick Scott

Winsor was a nonpartisan judge of theFlorida 1st District Court of Appeal from 2016 to 2019. He was appointed to the court in February 2016 by Gov.Rick Scott (R).^[4] Winsor was retained in the general election onNovember 6, 2018.

2018 election

See also:Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

Early life and education

Winsor was born inOrlando, Florida, in 1976. He received a B.S. and a B.A. from Auburn University in 1997. He obtained hisJ.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 2002.^[13]

Professional career

• 2019-present: Judge,U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• 2016-2019: Judge,Florida First District Court of Appeal
• 2013-2016: Florida Office of the Attorney GeneralPam Bondi (R)
  • 2013-2016: Solicitor General
    • 2015: Argued before theUnited States Supreme Court^[14]
  • 2013: Chief deputy solicitor general
• 2005-2013: Gray Robinson PA inTallahassee, Florida
  • 2008-2013: Shareholder
  • 2005-2008: Associate
• 2003-2005: Associate, King & Spalding LLP inAtlanta, Georgia
• 2002-2003: Law clerk to JudgeEd Carnes,U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit^[13]

About the court

Northern District of Florida
Eleventh Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 4
Judges: 4
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Mark E. Walker
Active judges: Margaret Rodgers,Mark E. Walker,T. Kent Wetherell,Allen Winsor Senior judges: Lacey Collier,Robert Hinkle,Clyde Roger Vinson

TheUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses inGainesville,Panama City,Pensacola, andTallahassee. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtownAtlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.

The Counties of the Northern District of Florida (click for larger map)

The Northern District of Florida hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The four courthouses in which it hears cases are Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola and Tallahassee.

There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:

TheGainesville Division, coveringAlachua,Dixie,Gilchrist,Lafayette, andLevy counties.

ThePanama City Division, coveringBay,Calhoun,Gulf,Holmes,Jackson, andWashington counties.

ThePensacola Division, coveringEscambia,Okaloosa,Santa Rosa, andWalton counties.

TheTallahassee Division, coveringFranklin,Gadsden,Jefferson,Leon,Liberty,Madison,Taylor, andWakulla counties.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

• The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
• The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

• As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

• After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

• If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
• If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

• The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

• If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
• If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

See also

Florida	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in FloridaFlorida Court of AppealsFlorida Supreme Court	Elections:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017Gubernatorial appointmentsJudicial selection in Florida	Federal courtsState courtsLocal courts

• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit

External links

Suggest a link

• Biography from theFederal Judicial Center
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
• Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Active judges	Chief Judge: Mark E. Walker (Federal judge)  •  Margaret Rodgers  •  T. Kent Wetherell  •  Allen Winsor
Senior judges	Robert Hinkle  •  Clyde Roger Vinson  •  Lacey Collier  •
Magistrate judges	Charles Kahn  •  Elizabeth Timothy  •  Martin Fitzpatrick  •  Hope Cannon  •  Michael Frank  •
Former Article III judges	George C. Young  •  William Stafford  •  Stephan Mickle  •  John Smoak  •  Isaac Hopkins Bronson  •  McQueen McIntosh  •  Philip Fraser  •  Thomas Settle  •  Charles Swayne  •  William Bostwick Sheppard  •  Augustus Long  •  Winston Arnow  •  George Carswell  •  Curtis Waller  •  George Whitehurst  •  Lynn Higby  •  David Middlebrooks  •  Dozier DeVane  •  Gary Jones (Florida)  •  Larry Bodiford  •
Former Chief judges	Robert Hinkle  •  Maurice Paul  •  Clyde Roger Vinson  •  William Stafford  •  Stephan Mickle  •  Winston Arnow  •  George Carswell  •

v • e Federal judges nominated to Article III courts byDonald Trump
2017	Thomas Parker •Elizabeth Branch •Neil Gorsuch •Amul Thapar •David C. Nye •John K. Bush •Kevin Newsom •Timothy J. Kelly •Ralph Erickson •Scott Palk •Trevor McFadden •Joan Larsen •Amy Coney Barrett •Allison Eid •Stephanos Bibas •Donald Coggins Jr. •Dabney Friedrich •Greg Katsas •Steven Grasz •Don Willett •James Ho •William L. Campbell Jr. •David Stras •Tilman E. Self III •Karen Gren Scholer •Terry A. Doughty •Claria Horn Boom •John Broomes •Rebecca Grady Jennings •Kyle Duncan •Kurt Engelhardt •Michael B. Brennan •Joel Carson •Robert Wier •Fernando Rodriguez Jr. •Annemarie Carney Axon •
2018	Andrew Oldham •Amy St. Eve •Michael Scudder •John Nalbandian •Mark Bennett •Andrew Oldham •Britt Grant •Colm Connolly •Maryellen Noreika •Jill Otake •Jeffrey Beaverstock •Emily Coody Marks •Holly Lou Teeter •Julius Richardson •Charles B. Goodwin •Barry Ashe •Stan Baker •A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. •Terry F. Moorer •Susan Baxter •William Jung •Alan Albright •Dominic Lanza •Eric Tostrud •Charles Williams •Nancy E. Brasel •James Sweeney •Kari A. Dooley •Marilyn J. Horan •Robert Summerhays •Brett Kavanaugh •David Porter •Liles Burke •Michael Juneau •Peter Phipps •Lance Walker •Richard Sullivan •Eli Richardson •Ryan Nelson •Chad F. Kenney, Sr. •Susan Brnovich •William M. Ray, II •Jeremy Kernodle •Thomas Kleeh •J.P. Hanlon •Mark Norris •Jonathan Kobes •Michael Brown •David Counts
2019	Eric Miller •Chad Readler •Eric Murphy •Neomi Rao •Paul Matey •Allison Jones Rushing •Bridget S. Bade •Roy Altman •Patrick Wyrick •Holly Brady •David Morales •Andrew Brasher •J. Campbell Barker •Rodolfo Ruiz •Daniel Domenico •Michael Truncale •Michael Park •Joseph Bianco •Raúl Arias-Marxuach •Daniel Collins •Joshua Wolson •Wendy Vitter •Kenneth Kiyul Lee •Kenneth Bell •Stephen Clark •Howard Nielson •Rodney Smith •Jean-Paul Boulee •Sarah Daggett Morrison •Rossie Alston •Pamela A. Barker •Corey Maze •Greg Guidry •Matthew Kacsmaryk •Allen Winsor •Carl Nichols •James Cain, Jr. •Tom Barber •J. Nicholas Ranjan •Clifton L. Corker •Peter Phipps •Daniel Bress •Damon Leichty •Wendy W. Berger •Peter Welte •Michael Liburdi •William Shaw Stickman •Mark Pittman •Karin J. Immergut •Jason Pulliam •Brantley Starr •Brian Buescher •James Wesley Hendrix •Timothy Reif •Martha Pacold •Sean Jordan •Mary Rowland •John M. Younge •Jeff Brown •Ada Brown •Steven Grimberg •Stephanie A. Gallagher •Steven Seeger •Stephanie Haines •Mary McElroy •David J. Novak •Frank W. Volk •Charles Eskridge •Rachel Kovner •Justin Walker •T. Kent Wetherell •Danielle Hunsaker •Lee Rudofsky •Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini •Steven Menashi •Robert J. Luck •Eric Komitee •Douglas Cole •John Sinatra •Sarah Pitlyk •Barbara Lagoa •Richard Myers II •Sherri Lydon •Patrick Bumatay •R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker •Anuraag Singhal •Karen Marston •Jodi Dishman •Mary Kay Vyskocil •Matthew McFarland •John Gallagher •Bernard Jones •Kea Riggs •Robert J. Colville •Stephanie Dawkins Davis •Gary R. Brown •David Barlow • Lewis Liman
2020	Lawrence VanDyke •Daniel Traynor •John Kness •Joshua Kindred •Philip Halpern •Silvia Carreno-Coll •Scott Rash •John Heil •Anna Manasco •John L. Badalamenti •Drew Tipton •Andrew Brasher •Cory Wilson •Scott Hardy •David Joseph •Matthew Schelp •John Cronan •Justin Walker •Brett H. Ludwig •Christy Wiegand •Thomas Cullen •Diane Gujarati •Stanley Blumenfeld •Mark Scarsi •John Holcomb •Stephen P. McGlynn •Todd Robinson •Hala Jarbou •David Dugan •Iain D. Johnston •Franklin U. Valderrama •John Hinderaker •Roderick Young •Michael Newman •Aileen Cannon •James Knepp •Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson •Toby Crouse •Philip Calabrese •Taylor McNeel •Thomas Kirsch •Stephen Vaden •Katherine Crytzer •Fernando Aenlle-Rocha •Charles Atchley •Joseph Dawson
2025	Whitney Hermandorfer •Joshua Divine •Cristian M. Stevens •Zachary Bluestone •Emil Bove •Edward Artau •Kyle Dudek•Maria Lanahan•Jennifer Mascott•Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe•Chad Meredith•Harold Mooty•Jordan Pratt•Edmund LaCour•Bill Lewis•Eric Tung•Rebecca Taibleson•Joshua D. Dunlap•Bill Mercer•Susan Rodriguez•Robert Chamberlin•Matthew Orso•David Bragdon•Jimmy Maxwell•Lindsey Freeman•William J. Crain
2026	Alexander Van Hook•Megan Benton•Aaron Peterson