Robert Hinkle (judge)
{{Short description|American judge (born 1951)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Robert Hinkle
|office = Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
|term_start = November 7, 2016
|term_end =
|office1 = Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
|term_start1 = 2004
|term_end1 = 2009
|predecessor1 = Roger Vinson
|successor1 = Stephan P. Mickle
|office2 = Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
|appointer2 = Bill Clinton
|term_start2 = August 1, 1996
|term_end2 = November 7, 2016
|predecessor2 = William Henry Stafford Jr.
|successor2 = Allen Winsor
|birth_name = Robert Lewis Hinkle
|birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1951|11|7}}}}
|birth_place = Apalachicola, Florida, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|education = {{nowrap|Florida State University (BA)}}
Harvard University (JD)
}}
Robert Lewis Hinkle (born November 7, 1951) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
Biography
Born on November 7, 1951,{{cite web|url=http://www.familytreenow.com/search/people/results?first=Robert&middle=Lewis&last=Hinkle&state=FL&dobyyyy=1951&rid=0s0&smck=WYVpKUD1y-TenZPE4tXJBw|title=Mr Robert John Hinkle - Yakima, Washington|website=www.familytreenow.com}} in Apalachicola, Florida, Hinkle received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1976. He was a law clerk for Judge Irving Loeb Goldberg of United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1976 to 1977. From 1977 to 1978, he was in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia, then practiced in Tallahassee, Florida from 1978 to 1996. He became an adjunct professor of law at Florida State University in 1981.
=Federal judicial service=
Hinkle was nominated by President Bill Clinton on June 6, 1996, to a seat vacated by William Henry Stafford Jr. of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 25, 1996, and received his commission on August 1, 1996. He served as chief judge from 2004 to 2009. He assumed senior status on November 7, 2016.{{FJC Bio|nid=1382196|inline=yes}}
=Notable rulings=
In 1999, Hinkle issued a ruling in Pemberton v. Tallahassee Memorial Regional Center that denied damages as claimed by the defendant upon whom the state forced a surgical procedure during labor.
On August 21, 2014, Hinkle issued a ruling in Brenner v. Scott that denied the state defendants' motion to dismiss and granted the same-sex couple plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. In ordering the injunction, Judge Hinkle found that Florida's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriage were federally unconstitutional.{{cite news|last1=Sweeney |first1=Dan|title=Same-sex marriage ban struck down in Florida federal court|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-gay-marriage-federal-court,0,191085.story|accessdate=August 21, 2014|work=Sun-Sentinel|date=August 21, 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Snow|first1=Justin|title=Federal judge rules Florida same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional|url=http://www.metroweekly.com/2014/08/federal-judge-rules-florida-same-sex-marriage-ban-unconstitutional/|accessdate=August 21, 2014|work=Metro Weekly|date=August 21, 2014}}
Hinkle heard the case Jones et al v. DeSantis which concerned a Florida law, SB 7066, which "required felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before
regaining the vote". On May 24, 2020, he ruled that the law was "unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe".{{cite news
| title=Judge rules against Florida on felons paying fines to vote
| agency=Associated Press
| url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article242974341.html
| accessdate=May 26, 2020
| journal=Miami Herald
| date=May 24, 2020
}}
Hinkle's decision was overturned and the requirement found constitutional by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/judges-florida-felons-vote-pay-fines-72955098|title=Judges: Florida felons can't vote until they pay fines, fees|website=ABC News}}
In June 2021, Hinkle preliminarily enjoined [https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/7072 Senate Bill 7072],{{Cite web|date=2021-07-09|title=The Real Takeaway From the Enjoining of the Florida Social Media Law|url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/real-takeaway-enjoining-florida-social-media-law|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Lawfare|language=en}} which levies fines and imposes additional penalties against social media platforms that blocked or otherwise inhibited content from political candidates and media organizations.
In June 2023, Hinkle issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking a Florida law that prohibited transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. His ruling allowed three transgender children to continue their treatment, emphasizing that gender identity is real and that denying these treatments could lead to significant harm, such as anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Federal judge blocks Florida ban on gender-affirming care for minors in narrow ruling, says 'gender identity is real' |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/federal-judge-blocks-florida-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-minors-in-narrow-ruling-says-gender-identity-is-real |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}
In June 2024, Hinkle struck down the aforementioned law, while also striking down new requirements by the Florida Board of Medicine that required prescriptions for gender-affirming care to be made by a physician instead of a registered nurse or other medical professional, and required in-person appointments for gender-affirming care instead of remote or telehealth appointments. In his ruling, Hinkle reiterated that 'the defendants have explicitly admitted prohibiting or impeding individuals from pursuing their transgender
identities is not a legitimate state interest' and yet 'a significant number of legislators and others involved in the adoption of the statute and rules at issue pursued this admittedly illegitimate interest.'{{Cite web |date=2024-06-11 |title=A Florida law blocking treatment for transgender children is thrown out by a federal judge |url=https://apnews.com/article/transgender-rights-children-florida-592b24b28e365ded336ca841f2ac90ac | access-date=2024-06-11 |website=Associated Press |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-11 |title=ORDER ON THE MERITS in JANE DOE et al. vs JOSEPH A. LADAPO et al., Case4:23cv114-RH-MAF |url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flnd.460963/gov.uscourts.flnd.460963.223.0.pdf | access-date=2024-06-11 |website=CourtListener |language=en-us}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{FJC Bio|nid=1382196}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=William Henry Stafford Jr.}}
{{s-ttl|title=Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida|years=1996–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=Allen Winsor}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Roger Vinson}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida}}|years=2004–2009}}
{{s-aft|after=Stephan P. Mickle}}
{{s-end}}
{{United States 11th Circuit senior district judges}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinkle, Robert}}
Category:20th-century American judges
Category:21st-century American judges
Category:Florida State University alumni
Category:Harvard Law School alumni
Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Category:People from Apalachicola, Florida
Category:United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton