Circuit Court Judge, District 10, Group 23

Barber: My top 3 priorities are 1. Be fair, impartial, and apply the law equally to everyone. 2. Create a courtroom where people feel safe, heard and respected even when they do not agree with the verdict, sentence or decision rendered. 3. Educate the public about the role of the judiciary so that combined with my other 2 priorities, people start having a better view and understanding of how the court system works for them and the importance of their roles (juror/voter) within the system.

Spath: 1. Courtroom Management: I have experience in managing heavy dockets and ensuring efficiency in proceedings.
a. It is imperative to keep cases moving. They don’t get better with time.
b. There are times when justice requires the cases to be continued
2. Ethics and Impartiality
a. Fairness is an important role for the court to instill.
b. Justice for all, not for some.
3. Judicial Eduction
a. it is important to inform the public about the role of the court.My top priorities are protecting Polk’s drinking water access, preserving agriculture and rural life, as well as conserving the natural landscapes of the Florida Wildlife Corridor that support our communities, threatened wildlife, and aquifer recharge. I also support a moratorium on new hyperscale data centers until Polk has clear standards to protect water, infrastructure, utilities, and taxpayers.

Barber:  It bothers me that kids are being born that have less rights than I had on the day I was born. People have lost faith in the law and the judiciary and I am in a position that I can help educate and change perceptions. There are vows that guide attorneys and judges that if we abide by them, the system works. I must do my part if I want others to do theirs. What each of us can do may look different but everyone can do something even if it’s only to vote and show up for jury duty.

Spath: I bring a diverse background of real world experience to the bench. By practicing in complex areas as a trial attorney in both civil, criminal, and probate, it has given me an appreciation for the significant impact judicial decisions can have on individuals, families, businesses, and the community as a whole. I approach that responsibility with the seriousness, thoughtfulness, and integrity it deserves.

Barber: I have been practicing in the 10th Circuit for over 20 years and in that time period I have personally handled at least one of almost every type of case that a Circuit Court Judge can be assigned. I am unique in that I didn’t remain in one area or even similar areas of the law but moved around so that I could be exposed to more and I generally handled all of my own paperwork and tasks as opposed to relying on my paralegal or software to take care of things for me.

Spath: I am a trial attorney. I have honed my practice in the courtroom. I have dealt with a vast array of cases in these fields and have done so at a complex level. I will not need to be brought up to speed on these areas of law, as I have lived them for the past 17 years. Since I have seen the courtroom day in and day out, I can hit the ground running in any of the matters assigned to me.

Barber: I don’t really have any judicial role models. If I had to choose, I’d go with Senior Judge Timothy Coon because he was always fair, respectful, didn’t let his emotions dictate his results, and was the type of Judge that a person could comfortably plea straight up to the Court and be treated the same way as if they’d had an attorney. His courtroom was safe. He was the first black judge in Polk County and that would have come with its own set of challenges and pressures but he made it look easy.

Spath: My judicial role models are many of the judges in the 10th that I have practiced in front of for certain character traits. Judge Abdoney was my first criminal judge in county court and I was impressed with his intellect and his ability to logically work through complex issues. Judge Maloney and Judge Combee had the ability to control a docket and make the courtroom run like clockwork. Judge Ojeda and Judge Estrada have impeccable demeanors. There are many more but these have stuck with me.

Barber: My judicial philosophy is that laws and sentences should be applied fairly and equally to everyone. All people deserve a chance to be heard and should be treated with respect. Elected officials work at the will of the people which means we should do the job we are elected to do even when doing so is hard or may not be popular. The judiciary is part of the checks and balance network of our democracy so a failure to do my job wouldn’t just affect me, it would affect the rights of everyone.

Spath: A Judge interprets the law by applying legal principles, precedents, and specific methods to determine the meaning of statutes or the Constitution and apply them to specific cases. They analyze the the four parts:
i. text’s plain meaning,
ii. legislative history (intent),
iii. precedent (past rulings),
iv. law’s purpose.