It is with great sadness that we share with you the news of the passing of retired Judge Anthony H. Johnson.
From a young age, Johnson was called to serve. He was 17 when he enlisted in the Marines. At 18, he arrived in De Nang and spent the next 13 months serving in the Vietnam War. After returning home, Johnson served his community working as a detective with the Washington D.C. Police Department while earning a B.A in the Administration of Justice from American University in 1974. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserves in 1978 and continued working in law enforcement, serving as a deputy sheriff in Pinellas County, Florida and a special agent in the U.S. Secret Service, before earning his juris doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 1981.
Following his graduation, Johnson served as an assistant state attorney at the Ninth Judicial Circuit for three years before being elected to the Orange County bench in 1985. Judge Johnson served as a county judge for six years before resigning in 1991. His resignation from the county bench, however, didn’t signal the end of his service to our community. In 1997, Judge Johnson was elected to the circuit bench and for the next 14 years, he served both Orange and Osceola Counties, presiding over criminal and juvenile dependency cases.
In 2013, after serving a combined 20 years as an Orange County and circuit judge, Judge Johnson retired from the bench. Yet, even in retirement he still found ways to serve his community. Most notably, he worked to bring attention to the sacrifices of our veterans, sharing his experiences during the Vietnam War in a published collection of short stories.
Judge Anthony Johnson leaves behind a legacy of dedication and service to his community that will never be forgotten at the Ninth. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.