J. Marion Moorman

J. Marion Moorman was elected Public Defender of the Tenth Judicial Circuit in 1984. He has been reelected every four years since that time.

Mr. Moorman was born April 18, 1943, in Columbia, South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Stetson University in 1965 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1971, from the Stetson University College of Law. Mr. Moorman was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1972.

Mr. Moorman was an assistant public defender in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, and he served as Chief Assistant for Pasco County from 1972 to 1976. He has served as an assistant state attorney in Polk County, specializing in the prosecution of physical and sexual child abuse. From 1979 until his election in 1984, Mr. Moorman was in private practice, representing citizens accused in state and federal courts.

Mr. Moorman is very active in the legal community. He is a member of both the Florida Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He belongs to the Criminal Law Sections of both organizations. Mr. Moorman is a member and former president of the Florida Public Defender Association. He currently serves on the Tenth Judicial Circuit Committee on Professionalism, the Polk County Public Safety Coordinating Council, the Florida Sentencing Guidelines Commission, and the University of South Florida Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. In addition, Mr. Moorman is active in the Polk County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and is a Master of the Willson American Inn of Court.

Mr. Moorman is also actively involved in community affairs. He was a founder of the Winter Haven Youth Soccer Association. He is a member of the Bartow Chamber of Commerce, the Ridge Arts Association, and Bok Tower Gardens.