Barbara Lagoa


Barbara Lagoa is an American lawyer and a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Prior to becoming a federal judge, she was the first Hispanic woman to be appointed as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Florida.

Background

Lagoa was born in Miami in 1967. She grew up in the majority Cuban city of Hialeah outside Miami. She received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in 1989 from Florida International University where she majored in English and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. She received her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 1992. She was an Associate Editor of the Columbia Law Review.
In 2000, she was one of a dozen mostly pro bono lawyers who represented the Miami family of Elián González.
In 2003, she became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, working in the Civil, Major Crimes, and Appellate Sections.

State judicial service

Lagoa was appointed to the Third District Court of Appeal by Governor Jeb Bush in June 2006 and became Chief Judge on January 1, 2019. On January 9, 2019, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis. She resigned her position when she was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Federal judicial service

On September 12, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Lagoa to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. On October 15, 2019, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Lagoa to the seat being vacated by Judge Stanley Marcus, who previously announced his intention to take senior status on a date to be determined. On October 16, 2019, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On November 7, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by a vote of 18–4. On November 19, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a vote of 80–15, and on the next day, November 20, confirmed her nomination by a vote of 80–15. She received her judicial commission on December 6, 2019.

Personal life

She is married to lawyer Paul C. Huck Jr., and her father-in-law is United States District Judge Paul Huck.