Circuit Judge Tim McCourt moving from Lake County to Marion County assignment in May
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A month after Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti traded in his black robe to be a defense attorney, Gov. Ron DeSantis has made an appointment to fill the position.
In a press release issued April 25, it was announced that DeSantis had tapped Citrus County Judge Charles Helm for the spot.
Helm has been a county judge for three years, and before that was an assistant U. S. attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit, according to the governor's announcement.
The judge received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his juris doctor from Liberty University.
Judge Timothy McCourt's role
Though Helm's appointment fills the vacancy that Tatti left, Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt is expected to take over Tatti's docket in Ocala. The new judge, Helm, will take McCourt's docket in Lake County. Circuit judges can serve anywhere in the 5th Judicial Circuit, whose member counties are Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando.
On Friday, McCourt said he expects to be in Ocala by mid-May. The judge said when he arrives in Marion, Helm will assume his spot in Lake and handle family law, guardianship, mental health issues and injunctions.
"I'll miss Lake County. I'm looking forward to my new assignment and getting ready to work on cases," McCourt said.
The defense: Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti is retiring from the bench, but not the law. Here's his next step.
Since Tatti's departure, retired Circuit Judge Willard Pope has taken over the docket. Pope and other judges are expected to oversee cases until McCourt's arrival.
Tatti's docket consists of criminal cases.
McCourt is familiar with criminal law. He was an assistant state attorney in Marion County and later served as a staff attorney for the Marion County Sheriff's Office. DeSantis appointed McCourt in December 2023 to replace Circuit Judge Larry Metz, who retired earlier that year.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Newly appointed judge to serve in Lake County; McCourt shifts to Marion
