James E.C. Perry was a justice on the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed to this position by then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist in March 2009 to fill the seat vacated by Charles Wells. He was retained on November 2, 2010, for a six-year term that was set to expire in 2017. Justice Perry retired in December 2016. Gov. Crist said of the appointment: Perry was eligible for the chief justice position in 2016, but chose not to run because of the mandatory age requirement, under which he retired within a year of the chief justice election. Justice Perry announced in September 2016 his forthcoming retirement on December 30, 2016. Though Perry reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2014, under the Florida Constitution, a judge who reaches age 70 after completing half of his term may complete that term. Governor Rick Scott appointed court of appeals Judge C. Alan Lawson to succeed Justice Perry.
