- May 5, 2024
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Craig Atack
Age: 36
Quirky Fact: In high school, was dunked on by Vince Carter.
Bio: Craig Atack is an assistant public defender for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He was born and raised in Flagler County, having attended Bunnell Elementary, Buddy Taylor Middle and Flagler Palm Coast High schools. He is the son of Flagler County’s last two consecutive judges. He earned his law degree at Florida International University.
What is one experience that led you to want to become a judge?
When I was 5 years old my dad ran for county judge here, and that was 1980, and he was elected. And in second grade I remember people making fun of me because I would bring a briefcase to school. … It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m not trying to say that just because my dad was the county judge that I have some kind of entitlement, but it did give me the opportunity to grow up around exceptional lawyers and exceptional judges in this community. … I always had a desire to work in public service.
What qualities are essential in a county judge?
Acknowledge that a normal workday for you is a monumental event for the people coming in. Integrity, confidentiality. Judicial temperament. Workhorse. Understand the rule of the law.
What makes you the most qualified of all the candidates in this race?
I have dedicated my life to public service, and I think that’s important in this race. … All I’ve done is focus my attention on the law and serving my clients. I’ve not ever had to worry about paying a secretary or paying for the light bill and I’ve taken some financial sacrifice to that end, but I think that makes me qualified.
I think if you ask in Volusia County or St. Johns County you’ll find that I’m a courtroom proven lawyer. I try very difficult cases, and do it often. I think if you ask any judge I’ve been in front of, any other prosecutors, or any other law enforcement in St. Johns County, they say I have a good demeanor for this job. …
I feel like I really understand a judge’s role in following the law and not making the law. …
As an assistant public defender, as a civics teacher, especially as an assistant public defender, almost the No. 1 job we have to do is to protect the constitutional rights of the people that we represent. And that is something that, especially when you’re dealing with really intense charges that I sometimes have to face, we have to deal with the most difficult clients, there’s a lot of personalities I have to deal with. Never once can I tell someone, “I’m just not going to deal with you. I don’t like this case. I don’t like you.” I think having done that for six years, and I mean thousands of cases, difficult cases where you almost have to remind yourself on a daily basis why you’re doing it, and I think that’s going to be an important characteristic for a county judge. Because you just don’t have the option of not treating every person the same; they all get the same treatment. So I feel like I’ve had that training, and it’s the only training I’ve had.
Another is I’m in the courtroom all the time. I think at some level, as a lawyer I could prosecute the case, I could defend the case. … I’m really skilled in rules of evidence.
So I feel like experience, especially at this really high level where there is a lot of media scrutiny on cases and of course, post-conviction scrutiny, that that’s very useful coming from the public defender standpoint. I also think it’s important as a public defender that I frankly won’t have any other ties to any real firms. And the public can have some confidence in that and knowing that I won’t be biased because someone comes from a different firm or I recognize them in some fashion. I mean, I’ve literally been exiled from, I mean I can’t work in Flagler County, with my mom being judge here, but in addition to that it’s not like I’m coming from a private practice where they might show favoritism.
If elected, what changes would you make to the way county court is run?
It could be that the way county court is run right now is as efficiently as it can go. …
My intention is just to follow the law. I’m prepared to work on weekends and work after hours, I know that’s coming.
