Morris Silberman faces merit retention vote Nov. 3

Clearwater-area voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain Judge Morris Silberman on the Florida Second District Court of Appeal. The nonpartisan merit retention question asks simply: "Shall Judge Silberman be retained in office?"

Silberman served as chief judge of the Second District Court of Appeal from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2013, according to the court's official biography. He is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. The vote is nonpartisan.

Candidate information

Name: Morris Silberman
Office: Florida Second District Court of Appeal
Race: Merit retention (nonpartisan)
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education: Bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science, Tulane University, 1979; juris doctor, University of Florida, 1982

Experience and public service

Silberman began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Herboth S. Ryder at the Florida Second District Court of Appeal from 1982 to 1984, according to The Florida Bar News. He then worked as an associate attorney at firms in Sarasota and Clearwater before founding his own Clearwater law firm in 1988. He practiced general civil litigation and appellate law through 2001, according to the court's biography.

Silberman served as president of the Clearwater Bar Association from 1993 to 1994 and as a member of The Florida Bar's Board of Governors from 1996 to 2000, according to the court's biography. He served on the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission from 2003 to 2012, including a term as chairman.

He also served as president of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal from October 2021 through December 2022.

Beyond the bench, Silberman has held board positions with the National Center for State Courts, the American Law Institute and the University of Florida Law Center Association. He also served on the East Lake Community Library Board, the Pinellas Youth Symphony and Leadership Pinellas. He is a member of the Bruce R. Jacob Criminal Appellate Inn of Court and the Barney Masterson Inn of Court.

Silberman is the author and co-editor of "Business Litigation in Florida," published by The Florida Bar, according to the American Law Institute.

Recognition

The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section named Silberman a recipient of the 2026 James C. Adkins Award, according to The Florida Bar News. The award honors decades of service to Florida's appellate courts, the appellate bar and the legal profession.