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U.S. Senate Confirms Wetherell As North Florida District Judge

Judge T Kent Wetherell
1st District Court of Appeals

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kent Wetherell to serve as judge in the Northern District of Florida. The moved restores the district to a full bench.

Wetherell will fill a seat that’s been vacant since 2015 when Judge John Smoak moved to senior status. President Barrack Obama had nominated Philip Lammens for the position, but Lammens was never given a confirmation hearing. In 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Wetherell. Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio said he’s pleased by the confirmation.

"I think it’s a great day. Judge Wetherell’s going to be a federal judge," Rubio said. "By the way he’s the 7th judge that we’ve now gotten through the system. It took way too long but I’m glad it finally happened. And I have no doubt he’s going to do a great job for Florida and for the country."

Wetherell has served as a judge since 2002 and began practicing law in 1995. He is the son of the late T.K. Wetherell, a former state House speaker and president of Florida State University.

Blaise Gainey is a State Government Reporter for WFSU News. Blaise hails from Windermere, Florida. He graduated from The School of Journalism at the Florida A&M University. He formerly worked for The Florida Channel, WTXL-TV, and before graduating interned with WFSU News. He is excited to return to the newsroom. In his spare time he enjoys watching sports, Netflix, outdoor activities and anything involving his daughter.