Ian Jason Richards (born May 31, 1975) is a former county court judge in the Florida's 17th Judicial Circuit. Richards was the first African-American judge to be elected countywide in Broward County, Florida. He presided over ''State of Florida v. John Reasee'', in which Richards jumped over his bench to protect a witness who was being attacked by the man against whom she had testified.

Early life and career

Richards, the son of a mechanic and registered nurse, grew up in South Florida. He attended Shadowlawn Elementary School in the heart of Liberty City, and later graduated from

Miami Norland Senior High School Miami Norland Senior High School is a public high school located in the Norland neighborhood of Miami Gardens, Florida. History Miami Norland Senior High School opened its doors to students in 1958 as an all-white school, accepting fifty student ...

. Richards earned his Bachelor of Accounting degree, in 1999, from

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florida ...

. In 2002, Richards received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from the

University of Miami School of Law The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. Founded in 1926, the University of Miami School of Law is the oldest law school in ...

. Richards was a member of the UM Law School’s Honor Council. Richards was defeated in a bid for re-election in 2014, despite his re-election effort being endorsed by major local newspapers.The Herald recommends Ian Richards
, ''Miami Herald'' (August 4, 2014);

, ''Sun-sentinel'' (August 13, 2014). Richards is married with three children.

Career achievements

* 2002 to 2004 – Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit * 2004 to 2008 – private attorney in South Florida * 2009 to 2014 – elected County Judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit Richards is a member of the Broward Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, and Federal Bar Association

References

External links

(Sun-sentinel, October 13, 2014)
Judges and Council Race Hinge on Name Recognition
(South Florida Times, September 18, 2014)

* ttp://www.dailybusinessreview.com/id=1202655547613/Liberty-City-Upbringing-Helped-Judge-Richards-Choose-Law#ixzz321DSuzhs Liberty City Upbringing Helped Judge Choose Law(Daily Business Review, May 19, 2014)
Pines men accused of sex with boy, not revealing HIV status
(Sun-Sentinel, January 17, 2013)

(Miami Herald, August 23, 2012)

(Miami Herald, March 25, 2009)

(Miami Herald, August 4, 2014)

(Sun-sentinel, August 13, 2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Ian 1975 births African-American judges Florida state court judges Florida lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers Florida Democrats Living people People from Hollywood, Florida People from Miramar, Florida African-American people in Florida politics American politicians of Jamaican descent University of Miami School of Law alumni Florida International University alumni People from Broward County, Florida Miami Norland Senior High School alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people