Who the heck is that?!

By John R. Byrne

If you've spent any time in the Wilkie D. Ferguson building, you likely have had occasion to stare up at the various portraits of judges that hang on the walls of the lobby area outside the courtrooms. And maybe, like me, you've thought: "Who the heck is that?"

With permission from the Court, the South Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association took high resolution photographs of the portraits and are featuring the portraits and short bios of the judges in weekly posts on social media. I'm planning to share that same content here. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about our district's rich history.

Hon. John W. Holland. Judge Holland was nominated by President Roosevelt and served on the district court from 1936-1969. He served as a “one-man court” in our district from 1936 to 1950 and, in 1949, was solely responsible for the 1,711 cases pending in the district. Despite the backbreaking case load that often led to him working seven-day weeks, Judge Holland was said to have had a “disposition as bright as the Florida sunshine on a cloudless day.”