Florida judge receives NCSC’s Distinguished Service Award

Florida judge receives NCSC’s Distinguished Service Award

Williamsburg, Va., Aug. 22, 2018 — Judge Melanie G. May (pictured left), who serves on the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Florida, on Tuesday received a National Center for State Courts Distinguished Service Award.

Judge May became a judge in 1991, starting as a circuit court judge in Broward County before moving to the court of appeals in 2001. She served as chief judge of the appellate court from 2011 to 2013. 

While on the Broward bench, she distinguished herself by overseeing one of the nation’s first drug courts, focusing on getting treatment to nonviolent offenders. 

As a lawyer and a judge, she has been known as thoughtful, hard-working and always prepared. She also has a reputation for looking for ways to improve the justice system and the lives of those involved in that system. 

As evidence of that commitment, she is on the Supreme Court of Florida Steering Committee on Treatment-Based Drug Courts, and she served on the Advisory Council to the Office of Drug Control since 1999. She has been a member of the Reentry Task Force and the Trial Court Performance and Accountability Committee.

On a national level, Judge May served as a member of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and of the Council of Chief Judges of State Courts of Appeal, chairing numerous committees and now serving as its president.  

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.

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