Scott Makar
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Scott Douglas Makar (born October 15, 1959) is an American lawyer, college professor and Judge on Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal, recommissioned from the First District Court of Appeal on January 1, 2023 by Governor
Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...
. Previously he was the
Florida Solicitor General The solicitor general of Florida or Florida solicitor general is the top appellate (appeals) solicitor (lawyer) for the U.S. State of Florida. It is an appointed position in the Office of the Florida Attorney General and the individual serves at t ...
serving from 2007 until 2012 and in that position, argued five cases before the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
.Mauro, Tony
"Appellate Lawyer of the Week: Florida SG Scott Makar"
National Law Journal, June 23, 2010


Early years

Scott Makar was born on October 15, 1959, and his family moved to
Holmes Beach, Florida Holmes Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,010, down from 3,836 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropoli ...
in 1969. He graduated from Manatee High School in 1977.


Education

Mr. Makar graduated from
Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...
in 1980 with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
double majoring in mathematics & economics,
magna cum laude
At the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
, he received a
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
in finance and
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
in economics during 1982, then a
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
with honors in 1987 and finally, a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
in economics during 1993. Mr. Makar was founder and Editor-in-Chief of the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy. He was also a member of the university of Florida Law Review and received the ''Gertrude Brick Award''. Makar clerked for Judge Thomas Alonzo Clark on the Eleventh Circuit of the United States courts of appeals, and at the Antitrust Division for the
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
, among others.
Florida Attorney General, Solicitor General profile


Teaching

His love for academics prompted Makar to begin teaching undergraduate courses when he was in law school. He has taught law courses at the University of Florida, Florida Coastal School of Law,
University of North Florida The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university, public research university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern ...
and Jacksonville University. Part of his position as Florida Solicitor General includes teaching at
Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
.


Lawyer

Makar was admitted to the Florida Bar on October 9, 1987. He joined Holland & Knight, LLP in 1989 and became a ''Capital Partner'' prior to his departure in 2001. He was hired as chief of the appellate division in the Office of General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville. He remained with the city for seven years. Makar has also written law reviews and law journal articles on a broad range of topics, many of which have been cited by commentators and courts, with several garnering legal writing awards. He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court's ''Standard Jury Instructions Committee (Civil)'' and currently serves as its chair emeritus. He served on the first Executive Council of the Florida Bar's ''Appellate Practice and Advocacy Section'' as a founding member. He also chaired the Appellate Practice Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association from 2001 to 2002.


Solicitor

Makar was appointed as Florida Solicitor General by Florida Attorney General
Bill McCollum Ira William McCollum Jr. (born July 12, 1944) is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 2001, representing Florida's 5th congressional district, which was ...
on February 13, 2007. McCollum did not seek re-election in 2010, and
Pam Bondi Pamela Jo Bondi ( ; born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who has served as the 87th United States attorney general since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 37th attorney general of Fl ...
was elected Florida Attorney General. She retained Makar in the position, and he served as one of her senior advisers. As Florida Solicitor General, Makar oversaw civil appeals involving the state's interests in all state and federal appellate courts. He also held the ''Richard W. Ervin Eminent Scholar Chair'' in the
Florida State University College of Law The Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. It is currently the highest ranked law school in Florida and is ranked in the top 40 best law schools in the United States. ...
where he taught. His $165,000 salary was split between the state and FSU. While Solicitor General, Makar argued cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, the
Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...
, the First District Court of Appeal, several Judicial Circuits, and
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
.


US Supreme Court

Typically, a state's Solicitor General will only have a case before the US Supreme Court every other year; Makar argued ''Florida Department of Revenue v. Piccadilly Cafeteria'' in 2007–2008, and nothing occurred in the 2008–2009 term. Florida was party to five cases in 2009–2010, and Makar personally argued four of them. In an interview, Makar claimed that the cashier of the cafeteria in the U.S. Supreme Court building saw him so often that she assumed he work there, and offered him the employee discount. The cases were: *''Graham v. Florida'' and ''Sullivan v. Florida'', (Juveniles sentenced to life without parole for non-homicide crimes) Graham won, Sullivan lost. *''Stop the Beach Renourishment Inc. v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection'', (homeowners opposed beach renourishment which would establish their property boundary at the water line before renourishment, instead of the subsequent water's edge after renourishment) Stop the Beach lost. *''Holland v. Florida'', (challenged the one-year statute of limitations under the AEDPA) Holland won. Over 100 of his cases have been reported, covering diverse topics.


Judge

On February 6, 2012, Florida Governor
Rick Scott Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers; born December 1, 1952) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and United States Navy, Navy veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of F ...
announced that he appointed Scott Makar to replace Paul Hawkes, who resigned over funding questions in the new First DCA "Taj Mahal" Courthouse. On February 23, 2012, Makar revealed that he would leave the Attorney General's office on March 23, 2012, to occupy the bench as a judge in the
Florida First District Court of Appeal The Florida First District Court of Appeal, also known as the First DCA, is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, the state capital. It is unique among the six Florida District Courts of Appeal in that, much like the United States Court of Appeal ...
in Tallahassee. Other First DCA judges teach at various law schools, so Makar confirmed that he will probably do so, too. Makar's official investiture as a member of the First District Court of Appeal was held on April 23, 2012."Capitol preview: What to expect this week in Florida politics"
Saint Peters Blog, April 23, 2012
He was recommissioned to Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal on January 1, 2023 by Governor
Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...
.


Personal life

He married to the former Nancy Hogshead, who was a co-worker at Holland & Knight. His wife is a professor at Florida Coastal School of Law and 1984 Olympic Gold medalist in swimming. Their home is in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, and they have a son, Aaron (2000), and twin daughters, Helen Clare & Millicent (2005).Palka, Mary Kell
"Attorney's new post combines 2 passions: Teaching and state law"
Florida Times-Union, February 23, 2007
His wife and son were able to attend several of his oral arguments at the US Supreme Court.


References


External links


Florida Attorney General, Solicitor General profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makar, Scott D. Florida State University faculty 1960 births Living people Mercer University alumni Academics from Jacksonville, Florida Lawyers from Jacksonville, Florida Warrington College of Business alumni Florida Republicans Jacksonville University faculty People from Holmes Beach, Florida Holland & Knight partners Solicitors general of Florida Judges of the Florida District Courts of Appeal