BCC Chairman JEREMIAH RAY BLOCKER's wife recommended for new County Court judgeship. (St. Augustine Record)

LAUREN PATRICIA BLOCKER, wife of anti-LGBTQIA Pride Proclamation St. Johns County Commission Chairman JEREMIAH RAY BLOCKER, made the short list of persons recommended for a 7th Judicial Circuit judgeship to Governor RONALD DION DeSANTIS. 

Ms. Blocker is a corporate lawyer.  

She serves on the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission for appellate judgeships. 

Conflict of interest? 

Appearance of impropriety?  

Bad optics?  

Is the life of JEREMIAH BLOCKER potential source material fora comic opera?  

Or a revival of "All in the Family?"  

You tell me. 

From St. Augustine Record: 

Gov. Ron DeSantis receives nominees for new St. Johns County judge seat

Six nominees include tax attorney, assistant public defender, assistant state attorney, magistrate, private attorneys

Sheldon Gardner

St. Augustine Record

Six candidates are in the running to become a St. Johns County judge and fill a seat created to help the county court deal with population growth.

The additional seat marks the first time the county has added a new county court judge since the 1970s. The request came through House Bill 5301 and was supported by St. Johns County Clerk of Court Brandon Patty and the county's legislative delegation: State Reps. Cyndi Stevenson and Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson.

Patty said the county's growth has led to more cases and, combined with COVID-19 delays, caused a backlog in the legal process.

The county is part of the 7th Judicial Circuit Court, which also includes Flagler, Putnam and Volusia counties. 

Judges in the circuit are based at several courthouses in the region. In St. Johns County, four circuit judges and two county court judges hear cases ― that number will increase to three county judges soon. 

The Judicial Nominating Commission for the 7th Judicial Circuit recently submitted six names for consideration to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will choose the judge. His office didn't immediately respond to a request for an update on the process. 

• Craig Atack, an assistant public defender in St. Johns County. 
• Lauren Blocker, an attorney and corporate counsel for Fidelity Information Services. Her husband is St. Johns County Commissioner Jeremiah Blocker. 
• Denise Mensh, a general magistrate in the 7th Judicial Circuit. 
• JoAnna Pang, a criminal tax attorney for the IRS in Jacksonville.
• Benjamin Rich, managing assistant state attorney for the office of the state attorney in St. Johns County. 
• Alyssa Shorstein, an attorney and partner at the Law Offices of Shorstein and Lee in St. Johns County. She handles criminal, civil, family, probate and bankruptcy matters. Her husband is Bryan Shorstein, executive director of the State Attorney's Office in the 7th Judicial Circuit.