Karla F. Wright
Karla F. Wright
District: Circuit Judge
Comments
Article
By JASON GEARY
THE LEDGER
Karla Foreman Wright slipped slightly on The Ledger's biennial survey of area lawyers. She ranked 26th among 28 circuit judges. Her overall rating was 6.70 out of 10.
In 2008, Wright was ranked 20th among 25 circuit judges. Her overall rating was 6.87.
This year, her strongest individual category was professional conduct with a rating of 7.36. Her lowest was 6.35 for written decisions.
Some lawyers praised Wright's performance on the bench, using words like fair, even-tempered and friendly.
"She really has the temperament to be a judge," one wrote. "She has a great mind. Does an excellent job in deciding eminent domain cases."
However, others criticized her for being slow to rule and questioned whether she followed the law. "Though one of the nicest people you will ever meet, she has been a little uneven in her decision making," one person wrote.
Wright, 60, did not wish to comment on the survey.
She graduated from Northwestern University Law School in Chicago in 1983.
Her legal career includes working as an assistant public defender and an assistant lawyer for Polk County.
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to the county bench in 2000 and to the circuit bench in 2005.
| 2010 Overall | Legal Ability | Communication Ability | Written Decisions | Professional Conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.70 | 6.46 | 6.65 | 6.35 | 7.36 |
Comments
Though one of the nicest people you will ever meet, she has been a little uneven in her decisioni making.
Does not get enough credit.
An overall excellent judge.
Karla Wright needs to go back to law school or take off the robe. She does not understand that being a judge means following legal precedent and the Rules of Court, whether you agree with them or not.
Wake up, Judge!
Lazy. Unprepared. Needs to retire now.
Wonderful lady. Very good judge. Runs a good courtroom.
Very fair and even-tempered.
If any needs to retire, it's Judge Wright.
Needs to appear at Bar functions.
I can't believe this individual is a judge.
She really has the temperament to be a judge. She has a great mind. Does an excellent job in deciding eminent domain cases.
Her health issues are preventing her from doing the job.
Judge Wright's actions and decisions on the bench are extremely concerning. On the numerous occasions I have been in front of her she completely ignores black letter law and makes unbelievable erroneous decisions that completely contradict long settled pr
Picked the worst JA. Takes too long to rule. Doesn't read everything filed. Does post her hearings.
Nicest lady. Good mind. Serious health problems limit her.
Good judge. She is very respectful of all attorneys and litigants.
Very slow to rule. Seems to be in over her head and abilities.
Solid intelligence. Has compassion, but follows the law.
Easy to work with in most situations. Does not have as solid of a handle on the law and procedure as the other civil division judges, but generally makes good decisions. Friendly when necessary; forceful when necessary.
Poor judge.
A nice person.
Does not get enough credit.
An overall excellent judge.
Karla Wright needs to go back to law school or take off the robe. She does not understand that being a judge means following legal precedent and the Rules of Court, whether you agree with them or not.
Wake up, Judge!
Lazy. Unprepared. Needs to retire now.
Wonderful lady. Very good judge. Runs a good courtroom.
Very fair and even-tempered.
If any needs to retire, it's Judge Wright.
Needs to appear at Bar functions.
I can't believe this individual is a judge.
She really has the temperament to be a judge. She has a great mind. Does an excellent job in deciding eminent domain cases.
Her health issues are preventing her from doing the job.
Judge Wright's actions and decisions on the bench are extremely concerning. On the numerous occasions I have been in front of her she completely ignores black letter law and makes unbelievable erroneous decisions that completely contradict long settled pr
Picked the worst JA. Takes too long to rule. Doesn't read everything filed. Does post her hearings.
Nicest lady. Good mind. Serious health problems limit her.
Good judge. She is very respectful of all attorneys and litigants.
Very slow to rule. Seems to be in over her head and abilities.
Solid intelligence. Has compassion, but follows the law.
Easy to work with in most situations. Does not have as solid of a handle on the law and procedure as the other civil division judges, but generally makes good decisions. Friendly when necessary; forceful when necessary.
Poor judge.
A nice person.
Article
By JASON GEARY
THE LEDGER
Karla Foreman Wright slipped slightly on The Ledger's biennial survey of area lawyers. She ranked 26th among 28 circuit judges. Her overall rating was 6.70 out of 10.
In 2008, Wright was ranked 20th among 25 circuit judges. Her overall rating was 6.87.
This year, her strongest individual category was professional conduct with a rating of 7.36. Her lowest was 6.35 for written decisions.
Some lawyers praised Wright's performance on the bench, using words like fair, even-tempered and friendly.
"She really has the temperament to be a judge," one wrote. "She has a great mind. Does an excellent job in deciding eminent domain cases."
However, others criticized her for being slow to rule and questioned whether she followed the law. "Though one of the nicest people you will ever meet, she has been a little uneven in her decision making," one person wrote.
Wright, 60, did not wish to comment on the survey.
She graduated from Northwestern University Law School in Chicago in 1983.
Her legal career includes working as an assistant public defender and an assistant lawyer for Polk County.
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to the county bench in 2000 and to the circuit bench in 2005.
District: Circuit Judge
Comments
Article
By ROBIN WILLIAMS ADAMS
THE LEDGER
With two years as a circuit judge behind her, Karla Foreman Wright's ranking improved in The Ledger's 2008 judge's poll.
She placed 20th out of 25 circuit judges, a tie with Circuit Judge Charles Brown. That's up from 22nd in 2006.
Her overall score of 6.87 this year is lower than the 7.02 she received in 2006. She scored highest on professional conduct - 7.39 - and lowest on legal ability - 6.59.
Written comments about her covered a broad range, from "all who know her respect and adore her" to "incompetent, should not be allowed to work in criminal court." Most negative comments stem from her time in criminal court. Wright now is in family court, which she said is going well.
"It's all challenging and interesting work," she said.
One lawyer was "glad she's off criminal bench." Another called Wright "very biased toward criminal defendants; refuses to sentence defendants to what they really deserve."
But positive comments outweighed negatives 2 to 1:
"Courteous, decisive judge; good temperament for the bench."
"A truly special person."
"Effective case manager; has greatly contributed to professionalism of the circuit."
"Smart, understands issues well, asks good questions."
Wright, 58, said she had no comment on the survey or lawyers' comments.
Wright graduated from Northwestern University Law School in Chicago in 1983. She was an assistant public defender in Polk County and an assistant lawyer for Polk County before former Gov. Jeb. Bush appointed her to the county bench in May 2000. She was elected to the job in 2002. Bush appointed her in December 2005 to fill a newly created circuit judge post. Her current term expires this year.
She and her husband, Dr. Victor Wright, a Bartow podiatrist, have two adult sons and two grandchildren.
| 2008 Overall | Legal Ability | Communication Ability | Written Decisions | Professional Conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.87 | 6.59 | 6.88 | 6.62 | 7.39 |
Comments
Karla F. Wright
A better judge each year.
A courteous, decisive judge; good temperament for the bench; good person.
A wonderful judge and person; perhaps the kindest and gentlest woman ever to wear the robe.
All who know her, respect and adore her.
An effective case manager; has greatly contributed to professionalism of the circuit.
Bright and fair--not spectacular.
Excellent judge.
Glad she's off criminal bench.
Good judge; good person; needs more visibility with the Bar Association.
Good person, good judgeRulings are sometimes out of left fieldSmart, understands issues well; asks good
questions so at least you know she's thinking and listeningVery biased towards criminal defendants; refuses to
sentence defendants to what they really deserve.
A better judge each year.
A courteous, decisive judge; good temperament for the bench; good person.
A wonderful judge and person; perhaps the kindest and gentlest woman ever to wear the robe.
All who know her, respect and adore her.
An effective case manager; has greatly contributed to professionalism of the circuit.
Bright and fair--not spectacular.
Excellent judge.
Glad she's off criminal bench.
Good judge; good person; needs more visibility with the Bar Association.
Good person, good judgeRulings are sometimes out of left fieldSmart, understands issues well; asks good
questions so at least you know she's thinking and listeningVery biased towards criminal defendants; refuses to
sentence defendants to what they really deserve.
Article
By ROBIN WILLIAMS ADAMS
THE LEDGER
With two years as a circuit judge behind her, Karla Foreman Wright's ranking improved in The Ledger's 2008 judge's poll.
She placed 20th out of 25 circuit judges, a tie with Circuit Judge Charles Brown. That's up from 22nd in 2006.
Her overall score of 6.87 this year is lower than the 7.02 she received in 2006. She scored highest on professional conduct - 7.39 - and lowest on legal ability - 6.59.
Written comments about her covered a broad range, from "all who know her respect and adore her" to "incompetent, should not be allowed to work in criminal court." Most negative comments stem from her time in criminal court. Wright now is in family court, which she said is going well.
"It's all challenging and interesting work," she said.
One lawyer was "glad she's off criminal bench." Another called Wright "very biased toward criminal defendants; refuses to sentence defendants to what they really deserve."
But positive comments outweighed negatives 2 to 1:
"Courteous, decisive judge; good temperament for the bench."
"A truly special person."
"Effective case manager; has greatly contributed to professionalism of the circuit."
"Smart, understands issues well, asks good questions."
Wright, 58, said she had no comment on the survey or lawyers' comments.
Wright graduated from Northwestern University Law School in Chicago in 1983. She was an assistant public defender in Polk County and an assistant lawyer for Polk County before former Gov. Jeb. Bush appointed her to the county bench in May 2000. She was elected to the job in 2002. Bush appointed her in December 2005 to fill a newly created circuit judge post. Her current term expires this year.
She and her husband, Dr. Victor Wright, a Bartow podiatrist, have two adult sons and two grandchildren.