Michael J. Scionti

Judge Michael J. Scionti is a Tampa native and lifelong resident of the State of Florida. Judge Scionti earned his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Florida State University in 1990 and his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 1996. Judge Scionti was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1996 and later admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Judge Scionti has served his community and country with honor and distinction upholding the rule of law in and out of the courtroom, on and off the battlefield, and throughout all branches of government. Elected to the bench in 2014 and re-elected in 2020, Judge Scionti serves as a Circuit Court Judge with the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida presiding over Veterans Treatment Court and other drug and mental health problem-solving courts. As a veteran, Judge Scionti brings his own military service and experience to the bench helping veterans suffering from military service-related mental health and substance use disorders, while ensuring the fair and impartial administration of justice.

Prior to his judicial service, Judge Scionti served as a Senior Diplomat with the U.S. Department of State overseeing rule of law advancements and counter-terrorism prosecutions in Kabul, Afghanistan. Judge Scionti also served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Defense overseeing legislative affairs for intergovernmental and homeland defense policy in Washington, DC. In addition to his federal service, Judge Scionti served as an Assistant State Attorney and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor with the State of Florida working with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies prosecuting violent felony offenders, white-collar corruption, and organized crime.

Judge Scionti serves as a Colonel with the U.S. Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, having received his direct commission in 2000, and is a graduate of the Army’s Military Justice Basic and Advance School, the Army’s Military Intelligence Basic and Advance School, and the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Judge Scionti currently serves as the Commander of the 8th Legal Operations Detachment with the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command. Judge Scionti has served multiple overseas tours of duty both as a Military Magistrate in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and as a Legal Advisor in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As a Military Magistrate, Judge Scionti most notably presided over military-commissioned tribunals of suspected enemy prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, and international terrorists.