Submitted by Jesse Scheckner
(Source: Florida Politics )
Michael A. Robinson, a longtime Judge with the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, just earned honors from the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association.
The organization bestowed Robinson the Justice Peggy A. Quince Judicial Excellence Award for his “outstanding service and significant contribution to the fair administration of justice for all people.”
Judge Charlene E. Honeywell, a senior district Judge with the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida, also received the award.
Benjamin J. Garcia, President of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter, described Robinson’s impact on the South Florida community as “profound and positive.”
Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Robinson, a Plantation resident, was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1983 after earning his Juris Doctor from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. He worked in private practice and as an Assistant Public Defender until 2007, when he was appointed General Magistrate of the 17th Judicial Circuit. Former Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Robinson three years later as a circuit court Judge.
Today, he presides over civil proceedings.
“Your dedication to upholding the highest standards of judicial conduct aligns perfectly with the principles for which this award was established,” Garcia wrote in a letter announcing the award, which Robinson received Nov. 22 at the FAMU College of Law in Orlando.
“Your tireless efforts in multiple areas of the law have set a standard of excellence and your impact has been felt far beyond the courtroom.”
Chief Judge Jack Tuter of the 17th Judicial Circuit agreed. He called Robinson’s winning the award — named for former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy A. Quince, the first African American woman to sit on the state’s highest court and head any branch of Florida government — a “consequential achievement.”
