By Maggie McCormick
When one looks at Judge Ray Treadwell’s background, it is unsurprising that he earned a spot on the Florida First District Court of Appeal. A Florida native, Judge Treadwell graduated from the University of Florida and Yale Law School, clerked for a federal judge, practiced at several top law firms, and served in senior roles in Governor DeSantis’ administration. But to Judge Treadwell, his path to the bench was far from obvious.
Long before he joined the First District, Judge Treadwell was a quiet kid growing up in Wellington, which was then a small equestrian town in Palm Beach County. By his own description, he was “not exactly a wild child.” He was studious, disciplined, and much more comfortable with structure than chaos. It is a description that still suits him today.
Judge Treadwell speaks about his childhood with a sense of gratitude and humility, describing it simply as a “non-controversial, suburban childhood.” He enrolled at the University of Florida, where he planned to study engineering before ultimately switching to business. At the time, however, his ambitions extended well beyond business itself. For much of college, he believed he was being called to ministry.
Faith had always been an important part of Judge Treadwell’s life, and he envisioned using a business degree to help manage a church. After graduating from UF, he spent three years in vocational ministry in both Gainesville and the Middle East. Those years taught Judge Treadwell something important about himself. Pastoral work, he realized, requires an extraordinary level of autonomy and self-direction. While many thrive in that environment, Judge Treadwell discovered that his personality was better suited to structured settings.
That realization led him to Washington, D.C., where he spent a year working on Capitol Hill as a legislative staff member for Congressman Dave Weldon. He had been interested in American government since grade school, and his work on Capitol Hill was an opportunity for first-hand exposure.
Throughout each of these experiences, the law remained quietly in the background. Judge Treadwell’s father is an attorney, and the profession had always held a certain pull. Eventually, Judge Treadwell decided to apply to law school somewhat tentatively, curious to see where the process might lead and how his applications would work out. The answer came in the form of an acceptance from Yale Law School, a moment he still describes with unmistakable gratitude. “I saw it as a calling from God,” he said.
For Judge Treadwell, his years at Yale were transformative ones. He describes studying among some of the nation’s foremost legal scholars as a “dream come true” and an opportunity to immerse himself in a “cathedral of law.” At Yale, Judge Treadwell developed not only as a student but as a thinker and advocate. As an older student with firmly held, conservative convictions, he was unafraid to engage with classmates whose perspectives differed from his own. Looking back, Judge Treadwell describes how those conversations helped to shape his ability and skills as an advocate.
During the summer before his last year at Yale, he served as a Summer Associate at Holland & Knight in Jacksonville. There, he worked alongside now-Governor Ron DeSantis, who was then an associate and two years shy of his first congressional campaign. The two went out to lunch and got to know one another. After graduating from Yale in 2011, Judge Treadwell planned to begin practicing at Holland & Knight. But just before starting, another opportunity emerged: a federal clerkship with Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida.
Judge Treadwell reflects on his years clerking as one of the defining experiences of his legal career. Judge Howard, he says, was gracious, patient, and helpful in shaping him in the first two years of his career. Under her guidance, Judge Treadwell learned to write, research, and analyze issues. Looking back, working on case dispositive memoranda as a clerk was one of the experiences that most prepared him as a lawyer. “It was exactly what I needed,” he reflected.
When he returned to Holland & Knight, Judge Treadwell got right to work as a litigator. Over the course of five years, he worked with 15 to 20 partners in Holland & Knight’s litigation section. While he knew it was not practical for long-term success, he loved being a generalist, working on and gaining experience in a wide range of matters. And although many now associate him with appellate work, Judge Treadwell notes that he spent much of his career immersed in the demanding realities of trial litigation. Motions practice, discovery disputes, witness preparation, and courtroom advocacy were his forte.
But like law had years before, public service called Judge Treadwell, and he sought ways to integrate it into his life. He entertained running for office or serving as a prosecutor. But ultimately, service in Governor DeSantis’ administration proved to be the best fit. Because of their time together at Holland & Knight, Judge Treadwell was enthusiastic about tying his career to the Governor.
Within the first few months of Governor DeSantis’ administration, Judge Treadwell joined the Department of Business and Professional Regulation as General Counsel. A year and a half later, he joined the Governor’s Office of General Counsel, where he served for three years in senior capacities. This experience marked the beginning of Judge Treadwell’s interest in appellate work. Through his work on high-profile, complicated cases, such as those related to school reopening, masks, transgender issues, and social media censorship, it became clear to Judge Treadwell that the appellate court was an opportunity for him to get his hands on complicated legal issues. His time in the Governor’s Office also provided him with the opportunity to review briefs from top lawyers. This experience helped him to see the next level that he wanted to reach as an attorney.
A few more years and another stint in private practice later, Governor DeSantis appointed Judge Treadwell to the First District Court of Appeal on May 23, 2025. Now a year into his tenure, Judge Treadwell is thriving as the now second-newest member of the court. He said that he “cannot speak highly enough” about his colleagues at the First District and describes building consensus among judges as the most rewarding aspect of judicial service. His commitment to mentorship is equally apparent. Having benefited so profoundly from his own clerkship experience, Judge Treadwell has intentionally structured his chambers around developing young lawyers through a term-clerk model.
As for his approach as a judge, Judge Treadwell speaks thoughtfully about the responsibility of judicial restraint and the importance of resolving cases without branching into unrelated issues. His goal as a judge, he explains simply, is “to decide the question in front of us.” For Judge Treadwell, it has been a natural transition to go from being an advocate to a neutral decisionmaker. Even as a practitioner, it was important for Judge Treadwell to be sound under the law. He reviewed both sides’ arguments critically. That same scrupulous approach now guides his work on the First District.
As for what makes a judicial opinion effective or well-written, Judge Treadwell admits that he continues to refine his legal writing skills and learn how to gain more knowledge in oral argument to make it as productive as possible. He advises that the best way to learn how to write better is by reading excellent material. For him, that includes reading incredible fiction or opinions from courts and judges that he respects, including his favorite United States Supreme Court justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
For lawyers appearing before the court, Judge Treadwell emphasizes the importance of clarity, organization, and rigorous support from authority. He notes that briefs that are too long, sloppy, or have issues that bleed into one another are less effective. He also notes that briefs that go pages without citing authority are “remarkably unhelpful.” The best advocates, he believes, connect each argument so logically that the answer becomes “obvious.”
Outside of work, Judge Treadwell’s greatest joy is his family. He enjoys taking his two daughters to shows, theme parks, and on family trips. Since re-marrying in December, those adventures include his two stepdaughters as well.
The disciplined habits that have marked Judge Treadwell’s career remain unchanged. He often wakes up at 4:00 in the morning to begin work before the rest of the house is awake, a routine he developed during his years in private practice. Asked whom he admires most, his answer comes immediately: his father, a lawyer and man of faith whose generosity and example continues to influence him.
Looking back on a journey that has taken him from ministry to Capitol Hill, from Yale Law School to the First District Court of Appeal, Judge Treadwell sees a common thread running through each chapter. “God has a plan for everyone,” he reflects. “Through the ups and downs, I’m thankful it brought me here.”
Maggie McCormick is an Associate in the Tallahassee office of Shutts & Bowen, LLP, where she is a member of the Appellate Practice Group. Before joining Shutts, Maggie clerked for Justice Meredith Sasso of the Florida Supreme Court and Judge Rachel Nordby of the Florida First District Court of Appeal.
