Justice Barbara Lagoa was commissioned as a judge on the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals based in Atlanta from President Donald Trump.
Justice Barbara Lagoa was born in Miami, Florida. She
received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in 1989 from Florida International
University where she majored in English and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi
honor society. Justice Lagoa received her Juris Doctor from Columbia University
School of Law in 1992, where she served as an Associate Editor of the Columbia
Law Review. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
On January 9, 2019, she became the first Hispanic woman
and the first Cuban American woman appointed to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.
Prior to her appointment by Governor Ron DeSantis to the Florida Supreme Court,
Governor Jeb Bush appointed her in June of 2006 to serve on the Third District
Court of Appeal. At that court, she became the first Hispanic woman and
the first Cuban American woman appointed to serve on the Third District Court
of Appeal. On January 1, 2019, she became the first Hispanic female Chief
Judge of the Third District Court of Appeal.
Prior to joining the bench, Justice Lagoa practiced in
both the civil and criminal arenas. Her civil practice at Greenberg Traurig
focused on general and complex commercial litigation, particularly the areas of
employment discrimination, business torts, securities litigation, construction
litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. In 2003, she joined the United
States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida as an Assistant
United States Attorney, where she worked in the Civil, Major Crimes and
Appellate Sections. As an Assistant United States Attorney, she tried numerous
criminal jury trials, including drug conspiracies and Hobbs Act violations. She
also handled a significant number of appeals.
While a practicing lawyer, Justice Lagoa was admitted to
The Florida Bar, the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern
Districts of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh
Circuit. She was also a member of many local, state, and national professional
groups including the Dade County Bar Association, and the Florida Association
for Women Lawyers.
Justice Lagoa’s civic and community activities include
service on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Greater Miami and Dade
County, the Film Society of Miami, Kristi House, and the FIU Alumni
Association. She was also a member of the Federal Judicial Nominating
Commission. She is currently a member of the Eugene P. Spellman and William
Hoeveler Chapter of the American Inns of Court.
Justice Lagoa is married to Paul C. Huck, Jr., an
attorney. They have three daughters. Justice Lagoa left the Florida Supreme
Court on December 6, 2019, when she received her commission as a judge on the
U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals based in Atlanta from President Donald
Trump.
https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Justices/Former-Justices/Justice-Barbara-Lagoa
