Nominated by Ronald Reagan Preceded by George C. Young | Name Elizabeth Kovachevich Role Judge | |
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Born December 14, 1936 (age 87)
Canton, Illinois, U.S. ( 1936-12-14 ) Alma mater St. Petersburg Junior College (Now St. Petersburg College)
University of Miami
Stetson University College of Law Education University of Miami, Stetson University College of Law | ||
Elizabeth Anne Kovachevich (born December 14, 1936) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
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Education and career
Born in Canton, Illinois, Kovachevich earned an Associate of Arts degree from St. Petersburg Junior College (now St. Petersburg College) in 1956 and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami in 1958. She then earned a Juris Doctor in 1961 from Stetson University College of Law. Kovachevich worked in private law practice in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1961 until 1973, when she was elected a judge of the State of Florida's Sixth Judicial Circuit. Kovachevich was the first female judge on the Sixth Judicial Circuit, and she served as a state judge in Florida until 1982.
Failed nomination to federal district court
On June 8, 1976, President Gerald Ford nominated Kovachevich to a seat on a federal district court, according to an October 12, 1976 memo to Ford by his personnel director, Douglas Bennett. The United States Senate never acted on Kovachevich's nomination before Ford's presidency ended. Her nomination was blocked through a custom known as senatorial courtesy because the Democratic Party-controlled the Senate, and Florida's Senators, Lawton Chiles and Richard Stone, Democrats, opposed her confirmation. Ford's successor, President Jimmy Carter, elected not to renominate Kovachevich.
Federal judicial service
Kovachevich was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on January 26, 1982, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida vacated by Judge George C. Young. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 4, 1982, and received commission on March 9, 1982. She served as Chief Judge from 1996 to 2002. Kovachevich is based in Tampa, Florida.