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Eighth Circuit Court Judge Sean Brewer sworn in at investiture ceremony

Eighth Circuit Court Judge Sean Brewer was officially sworn into office at his investiture ceremony at the Stephan P. Mickle Sr., Criminal Courthouse on Friday.

Brewer was first elected to the bench in November after defeating opponent AuBroncee Martin with 67% of the vote. He began serving in his new role in January.

A former assistant state attorney for the eighth and fifth judicial circuits, Brewer has a legal career spanning nearly 25 years.

He said one of his primary motivations for pursuing law is his strong value for justice.

“It's the most important thing that we have in our society,” said Brewer. “To make sure that we live in a just society, and anything I can do to help that, I'm honored to do so.”

When asked about his time on the campaign trail, Brewer said it was initially challenging but ultimately rewarding.

“You don't know how to campaign until you do it, and so everything was new to me,” said Brewer. “But like I said in my speech, I got to meet some amazing people. And it was a very positive experience.”

During his speech, Brewer tearfully recalled how he had met Casey Glant, widow of the late Judge David A. Glant, while campaigning. Glant had held Brewer’s current seat until shortly before his death in 2013.

Several circuit court judges spoke on Brewer’s behalf at the ceremony. One of them, Eighth Circuit Court Judge Denise Ferrero, first met Brewer over 20 years ago when both were prosecutors, with Ferrero in the eighth circuit and Brewer in the fifth. At the time, Ferrero had recommended to her superiors that Brewer would be a good hire.

“He just had a good personality. He seemed intellectually curious,” said Ferrero. “And I knew he was traveling from Gainesville to Ocala. And it sounds like he might be a good fit for our office, if it ever could work out.”

Brewer’s wife and three sons also attended the ceremony. His eldest son, Justin, spoke on his behalf as well.

Brewer is currently assigned to the Alachua County Family Division in addition to handling all judicial circuit responsibilities in Baker County except for felony criminal law.

Silas is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.