Peggy Quince facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peggy A. Quince
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| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida | |
| In office July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | R. Fred Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Charles T. Canady |
| Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida | |
| In office January 5, 1999 – January 8, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Ben F. Overton |
| Succeeded by | Carlos G. Muñiz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 3, 1948 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Website | Official Site: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/justices/quince.shtml |
Peggy Ann Quince, born on January 3, 1948, is a very important person in Florida's history. She used to be a judge on the highest court in Florida, called the Supreme Court of Florida.
From 2008 to 2010, she was the Chief Justice of this court. This means she was the main leader of the Supreme Court. She was the first African-American woman to lead any branch of Florida's government. She was also the second African American and the third woman to become Chief Justice. Before that, she served as a Justice on the Supreme Court from 1999. She was the first African-American woman to be a Justice on Florida's highest court.
Early Life and Education
Peggy Quince grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia. Her father, Solomon Quince, worked for the United States Navy. She was the second of five children in her family.
When she was young, schools were still separated by race. Even so, Peggy Quince was a very good student. She went to Howard University for her college degree. Later, she earned her law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in 1975.
Career as a Judge
After finishing law school, Peggy Quince started her career in law. From 1980 to 1993, she worked for the Florida Attorney General's office. This office helps the state with legal matters. For five of those years, she was in charge of appeals related to serious criminal cases.
In 1993, she became a judge on Florida's Second District Court of Appeal. She served there until 1997. This court reviews decisions made by lower courts.
Becoming a Supreme Court Justice
Peggy Quince made history when she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida. She is the only Justice in Florida's history to be chosen by more than one Governor at the same time.
This happened because her term was set to begin exactly when a new Governor, Jeb Bush, was taking office. To avoid any confusion, Governor Bush and the outgoing Governor, Lawton Chiles, agreed together to appoint her in December 1998.
A few days later, Governor Chiles sadly passed away. So, the job of officially signing Peggy Quince's appointment fell to the temporary Governor, Buddy MacKay. This means three different Governors were involved in her special appointment to the Supreme Court.
