First District Court of Appeal Mourns Passing of the Honorable Anne Cawthon Booth

The First District Court of Appeal mourns the loss of former First District Court of Appeal Chief Judge Anne Cawthon Booth, who passed away peacefully at her home in Tallahassee on June 14, 2021, at the age of 87.

Judge Booth was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal by Governor Reubin Askew in 1978 and served there until her retirement in 2005. From 1985–1987, she served as Chief Judge. Judge Booth was the first woman to be appointed to an appellate court in Florida, and the first woman to serve as Chief Judge.

Judge Booth earned her law degree with high honors from the University of Florida, where she graduated at the top of her class and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. She was the only female student in her class. Following graduation, she clerked for Chief Justice Joseph A. Boyd Jr. and Justice Millard Caldwell of the Florida Supreme Court. She then practiced as a civil litigator with her husband, Edgar Charles Booth, before being appointed to the First District Court of Appeal.

“With a brilliant legal mind and indomitable spirit, Judge Booth was a trailblazer for women in law,” said Chief Judge Stephanie Ray. “We honor her commitment to justice and her extraordinary life and legacy.”

The Court extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to Judge Booth’s family and friends. For more information on Judge Booth’s remarkable life, view her obituary here.