We are pleased to announce that the Honorable Lisa T. Munyon has been elected as Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit for Orange and Osceola Counties. Chief Judge-Elect Munyon will become the circuit’s first female Chief Judge when she assumes her new post on July 1, 2021.
I am truly humbled by the support of my colleagues,” Chief Judge-Elect Munyon said. “It has been my great privilege to serve the people of this circuit and our judiciary for the last 18 years. This past year has been a challenge for our judges, staff, and the public. Our judges and staff, with the help of the clerks, sheriffs, and county administrators, have worked diligently to meet the challenges of the pandemic and to keep our courts open, safe, and accessible. I look forward to building upon this teamwork to move the circuit past the pandemic in my new role as Chief Judge. Together, the judges of this circuit will continue to serve our community well.”
Chief Judge-Elect Munyon received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 1982, and her law degree from the University of Florida Levin School of Law in 1985. Governor Jeb Bush appointed her to the circuit bench in 2003, and she was reelected in 2004, 2010, and 2016 without opposition. Prior to her appointment, she served as an assistant state attorney with the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office and in private practice.
Chief Judge-Elect Munyon began her judicial career in the Criminal Division. She was appointed Associate Administrative Judge of the division in 2006 and Administrative Judge in 2007. In 2009, she was assigned to the Domestic Relations Division and was appointed Administrative Judge in 2010. Following her assignment to family court, Chief Judge-Elect Munyon sat in the Civil Division and then Business Court where she served as Associate Administrative Judge in 2011 and Administrative Judge from 2012 to 2016.
In 2017, Chief Judge-Elect Munyon returned to the Criminal Division for two years, serving as Administrative Judge. She returned to the Civil Division in 2019, and served as Associate Administrative Judge for two years. Currently, she presides over the Probate Division.
Chief Judge-Elect Munyon has served with many local and statewide organizations throughout her judicial career. From 2008 to 2019, she oversaw court technology in the Ninth Circuit, continuing the circuit’s national leadership role in the innovative use of technology. Since 2012, she has chaired the Florida Courts Technology Commission (FCTC) that has broad duties to make recommendations on technology policy to the Supreme Court. During Chief Judge-Elect Munyon’s tenure chairing the FCTC, the Commission made court records available via the internet while successfully protecting confidential information and launched the Florida Courts E-Portal, which currently receives over 2,000,000 documents monthly.
In April 2020, Chief Justice Canady appointed Chief Judge-Elect Munyon to chair the Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19. She has also taught fellow judges at the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges and at the College of Advanced Judicial Studies in handling capital cases.
For her contributions to the community, Chief-Judge Elect Munyon has received numerous awards, including the Orange County Bar Association’s James A. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award, awarded to the jurist who is dedicated to professionalism and best demonstrates service to and support of the legal profession.
The Chief Judge has administrative authority over the entire circuit and is elected to this post every two years by their fellow judges. Chief Judge-Elect Munyon succeeds the Honorable Donald A. Myers, Jr., who has served as Chief Judge since July 2019.