Supreme Court names Ali Sackett as State Courts Administrator

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2021
Contact: Paul Flemming, public information officer
Office of the State Courts Administrator
(850) 922-1187  

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Supreme Court has named Allison “Ali” Sackett as its next state courts administrator. Sackett will serve as the eighth state courts administrator and lead nearly 200 employees in the Office of the State Courts Administrator.

Sackett will begin September 1 and work for a transition period with current State Courts Administrator Lisa Kiel, who is departing.

“We welcome Ali to this vital role within the judicial branch and look forward to her leadership,” said Chief Justice Charles Canady. “For the people who come to Florida’s courts few know about the state courts administrator, but it’s really a key job with important responsibilities to make sure those people are served well. The chief justice relies so much on this position in carrying out his duties as chief administrative officer of the branch.”

Sackett is now director of the Legal Division of The Florida Bar, a position she has held since 2019. In her 14 years with the Bar, she previously served as bar counsel; Chief Branch Discipline Counsel of the Tallahassee Branch Office, and as associate director of Lawyer Regulation. Prior to that she worked for Legal Services of North Florida, Inc. Sackett is an attorney, earning her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law after earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Montevallo.

The state courts administrator is responsible for overseeing a broad range of policy, intergovernmental relations, and operational functions. The position, and the office it leads, works at the direction of the Supreme Court to fulfill its administration of justice duties as well as those of district courts of appeal and trial courts throughout the state.

“Lisa Kiel has served the judicial branch admirably, and I thank her. I cannot imagine navigating these last 17 months without her at the helm,” Canady said. “Now, I and my colleagues on the Supreme Court look forward to Ali Sackett joining us in this new role for her and bringing her exceptional skills and proven abilities to bear, serving the mission of the courts.”

Kiel has worked in Florida state government for over 35 years. She is concluding her second tenure as state courts administrator, a position she held for a dozen years after a long career in other positions within the organization.

Sackett is set to join a small group of state courts administrators since judicial reform to voter-approved reorganization of the courts. Constitutional amendments passed by voters in 1972 resulted in the statewide court structure that, among other things, created the Office of the State Courts Administrator.

Previous state courts administrators are:

• Elisabeth H. Kiel, 2019-2021
• Patricia (PK) Jameson, 2014-2019
• Elisabeth H. Kiel (née Goodner), 2003-2014
• Rob Lubitz, 2002-2003
• Kenneth R. Palmer, 1985-2001
• Donald Conn, 1981-1985
• John F. Harkness, Jr., 1974-1981
• James B. Ueberhorst, 1972-1974