5 things to know about Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, the Tampa judge who struck down the travel mask mandate

TAMPA — U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of Tampa caused an uproar across the country Monday with a ruling that eliminated the federal mask requirement for travelers.

The judge’s decision quickly became political fodder, with commentators on the left and right alternately criticizing and praising.

Critics on social media quickly revived controversy over Mizelle’s 2020 judicial nomination. She was just 33 years old when she was appointed as a judge in the Middle District of Florida, which includes the Tampa Bay area. She had eight years of prior experience as a lawyer (judicial candidates typically have more), raising questions about her qualifications for the lifetime appointment.

Legal observers noted the thoroughness of her 59-page opinion: its breadth and complexity made it as much a subject of interest as that of the judge herself.

“I’ve seen headlines about how she’s now a right-wing hero, if you will,” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law who studies judicial selection. “That may be true, although she may have been a hero before that. Judicial reputations are built throughout life and she has a long way to go.”

Here are five things to know about Mizelle and her background.

What is your academic background?

Mizelle, 35, is from Polk County and is a 2005 graduate of Lakeland Christian School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2009 from Covenant College, a private Christian liberal arts school in Northwest Georgia. Her law degree came in 2012 from the University of Florida. She earned her bachelor’s degree and her law degree summa cum laude.

What was your experience before becoming a judge?

While she was not particularly well known in the Tampa legal community prior to her appointment, her resume does have some highlights. She spent a year clerking for United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She also clerked for US District Judge James S. Moody Jr. of Tampa and William H. Pryor Jr. of the Atlanta-based US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

He became a federal prosecutor in 2014, working in Virginia and Washington, DC. She was an Attorney for the Assistant Attorney General from 2017 to 2018, then clerked for Gregory G. Katsas of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit before working for Thomas. Prior to her nomination to federal court, she was an associate attorney at Jones Day, an international law firm, in Washington, DC.

What is your judicial philosophy?

Mizelle is a member of the Federalist Society, the influential legal organization seen as promoting a conservative or libertarian view of the law. Members defend the philosophy or originalism, whose basic idea is to interpret the Constitution the way it would have been understood when it was written. They also espouse a philosophy of textualism, which is a theory that the law should be interpreted according to the simple meaning of its text, rather than things like legislative intent.

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In January 2020, Mizelle spoke at a Federalist Society convention in Orlando, which Thomas attended. She called him the “greatest living American” and expressed her admiration for his commitment to originalism.

What was the controversy over your judicial nomination?

After President Trump nominated Mizelle for the federal seat in 2020, an American Bar Association committee sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee saying she was unqualified. They noted in particular the eight years that she had practiced law. Generally, federal judicial candidates must have at least 12 years of experience, they wrote.

“Millisecond. Mizelle has a very sharp intellect, a strong work ethic and an impressive resume,” wrote Randall D. Noel, chairman of the association’s standing committee on the federal judiciary. friends who support his nomination. His integrity and demeanor are not in question. These attributes, however, simply do not make up for the short time he has practiced law and his lack of significant trial experience.”

Lack of experience became a feature of his Senate confirmation hearing.

Mizelle was confirmed along party lines, with 49 Republicans voting for her and 41 Democrats voting against her.

Are there other prominent members of your family?

She is married to Chad Mizelle, a lawyer who served as general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security and in high positions in the White House during the Trump administration. In January 2021, she joined Jones Day in the firm’s government regulation practice. Last September, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him to the Judicial Nominating Commission for the 13th Judicial Circuit, the panel that selects nominees for judicial appointments to the Hillsborough County state court.